Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the death of the ninth Cheetah in Kuno National Park, the Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said India’s image is being tarnished at the international level due to these deaths.
“Who is responsible for the death of the 9th cheetah in Kuno National Park? Where are all those who were busy promoting this event, considering it a symbol of the power of the BJP government? Due to this, India’s image is being tarnished internationally, as there is talk about their death in those countries where these animals came,” said Mr. Yadav.
Earlier, the SP chief described the deaths as administrative ‘murder’ and said the BJP, which brought them only for the political demonstration had the responsibility to provide a safe environment free from diseases and mutual conflicts.
Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh witnessed the death of one more adult cheetah, on Wednesday which was brought from Namibia in September last year, under Project Cheetah, an ambitious intercontinental cheetah translocation programme, initiated by India aimed to introduce African cheetahs in grassland habitats in India in an effort to re-establish the species which extincted from India in 1952.
Six adult cheetahs — all relocated from South Africa and Namibia — and three cubs born at Kuno National Park have died since March this year.