By Ravish Pal Singh: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday described the death of a third cheetah in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park as “administrative murder” and a “clear case of cruelty to animals” as he demanded punitive action in the matter.
A female cheetah from South Africa, named Daksha, died in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on Tuesday, following a violent interaction with a male during a mating attempt, the Union environment ministry said.
This was the third cheetah death in the park within a month and a half. One of the Namibian cheetahs, Sasha, died due to a kidney-related ailment on March 27, and another cheetah, Uday, from South Africa, died on April 13.
ALSO READ | Another cheetah dies at Kuno National Park, third death in three months
Taking to Twitter, Yadav said in Hindi, “The death of the third cheetah in Kuno is actually an administrative murder. The BJP party, which has gathered people only for political showoff also has the responsibility to provide a safe environment to foreign cheetahs free from diseases and mutual conflicts.”
“This is a clear case of cruelty to animals, punitive action should be taken in this case,” Akhilesh Yadav said.
Also Read | Male cheetah from South Africa dies in MP’s Kuno National Park, 2nd death in a month
Responding to Akhilesh Yadav’s tweet, BJP spokesperson Narendra Saluja said that Akhilesh Yadav is not refraining from doing politics even on the tragic deaths of cheetahs. “He should know that before introducing cheetahs in Kunoo National Park, wildlife experts from Namibia and South Africa had identified this place as the best location for cheetahs in the country. The death of cheetahs is indeed sad, but connecting it to politics reflects Akhilesh Yadav’s mindset,” Saluja said.
Experts have decided to release five more cheetahs into the wild before the onset of the monsoon and keep the rest in their fenced acclimatization camps until the monsoon rains get over. They have also decided to open certain internal gates of the fenced enclosures to give more space to cheetahs and allow interactions between specific males and females, PTI reported.
Also Read | One of eight cheetahs introduced at Kuno from Namibia dies of kidney ailment
