NEW DELHI, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Another cheetah has died in Kuno National Park in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh after falling ill, the second in less than a month, officials said on Monday.
The cause of death of the six-year-old male cheetah was not immediately known.
A statement issued by the Madhya Pradesh forest department said the cheetah died on Sunday evening.
It said until Saturday the cheetah had been faring well. However, it suddenly took ill on Sunday morning and appeared lethargic and limping, following which it was tranquilized and administered the first round of treatment.
"The cause of death will be determined only after the post-mortem," a senior forest official said.
The cheetah was among the 12 cheetahs brought to India from South Africa in February this year.
This is the second cheetah death in Kuno since translocation of the big cats from Namibia to India which started in September last year, a project aimed at reviving the population of cheetahs in India. On March 27, a Namibian female cheetah died of kidney ailment.
According to officials, of the 20 cheetahs brought to India so far, now 18 are surviving. ■