WINDHOEK, March 27 (Xinhua) -- One of the eight cheetahs translocated to India from Namibia last year has died, a Namibian government official said Monday.
"We have received news from India that one of the translocated cheetahs died. It had kidney failure and had been under medical care for the past three months," said Romeo Muyunda, spokesperson for Namibia's Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism.
According to Muyunda, the female cheetah was not placed in the wild and had been in a quarantine facility for observation and treatment.
"The other cheetahs are doing very well. Currently, four of the cheetahs are out in the wild and are hunting while monitoring continues," he said.
Muyunda meanwhile said the idea of reintroducing cheetahs after extinction in India will not be hindered by this isolated event.
"We firmly believe that this generous donation will diversify the global cheetah range and improve its conservation status," he said.
Last year, eight cheetahs, including five females and three males, were flown from Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, to India with the aim to revive India's extinct cheetah population. ■