The iconic male tiger, admired by thousands of tourists and feared by rivals, reportedly died after a fierce clash in the Khitauli range. Bandhavgarh National Park has lost one of its most recognizable and beloved tigers. Pujari (priest in English) , the majestic male who ruled hearts as much as territories , is believed to have died following a violent territorial clash with D1, another dominant male from the Khitauli range. Tourist guides noticed his sun-salutation poses at water bodies and a priest like calm in the cat, giving him the moniker. For wildlife lovers and regular visitors to Bandhavgarh, the news marks the end of an unforgettable chapter in the park’s rich tiger history. Several WhatsApp groups of tourists, guides, and wildlife enthusiasts have been flooded with tributes to the iconic tiger. While many stories circulating after Pujari’s death may not fully conform to scientific wildlife interpretations, they reflect the immense popularity of the big cat and t...
Two days after the death of Sasha, the female cheetah in Kuno national park, there is good news coming from the jungle . Siyayya another Namibian cheetah, still in an enclosure gave birth to four cubs. As the officials celebrate the occasion, they call cubs “ 4 Indian cheetahs after 75 years”. Under chetah translocation propject, 8 cheetahs were brought from Namibia on September 17 last year.
Born In An Enclosure
Siyayya is still living in a 150 hectare enclosure inside Kuno national park where “she had interacted with Freddie and Elton, the two males “. After the 8 Namibian cheetahs were airlifted to Kuno and quarantined before their release to different enclosures, the two males were released in a bigger enclosure - number 4- of about 150 hectare. Siyayya was released also in the neighbouring enclosure number 5. First they interacted from behind the wired fence but sometime around third week of December the gate between the two enclosures separating them was opened leading to mating, said an official of theUnion ministry of forest ,environment and climate change who is part of the cheetah project and action plan. The gestation period of cheetah is about 90 days and we were expecting good news, he said. Though only 5 % cheetah cubs survive to adulthood, Siyayya has an advantage of living inside an enclosure where there is minimum risk of predators.
Also read: More Questions On Cheetah Project in Kuno
When in the wild, mothers keep their cubs hidden in their dens for 6 to 8 weeks to keep them protected from lions, hyenas and leopards among others. “The main factor for their survival for the first 60 days is their ability to stay hidden from the predators”, officials said adding, “we will have to ensure that there would be no predators inside the enclosure where Siyayya is looking after her new born.” “Here it is almost like nursing home conditions inside her enclosure but lets us see how long and how many of them survive . You can’t predict with the wildlife animals” , they said. Siyayya was not released in the open jungle of Kuno . But three males including Freddie, Elton and one female- Asha- were released earlier this month. Two females, Savannah and Tiblis were not found fit for their release in the wild. There are wild cheetah but were bred in captivity and may not survive in the wild. The eighth cheetah Sasha died two days ago
By Deshdeep Saxena
Pictures Courtsey Kuno national park
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