In A First, Kuno Cheetahs In Wild Given Treatment To Protect Them From Parasite Attack In Monsoon

Among these 16 wild cheetahs who were provided the anti-ectoparasitic medication, five including four are adults and the remaining 11 are cubs.

Gamini and her four cubs were the first batch of the free-ranging cheetahs who were given the medication on June 17 this year and it took four hours to complete the treatment process.

“This is the first instance in India of five free-ranging cheetahs being chemically immobilized and treated successfully within such a short timeframe in the wild”, KNP field director Uttam Kumar Sharma told this newspaper on Tuesday.

Later, other cheetahs who are in the wild and above six months of age were given the anti-parasite medication in batches.

Six other cheetahs who are aged above six months and kept in the soft release bomas (SRBs) (meaning large enclosures before being released in the wild) have meanwhile been given the prophylactic treatment, according to Mr. Sharma.

The medicine used for the treatment is Bravecto Spot-On, a topical application found effective against ticks.

The preventive measures undertaken ahead of the monsoon comes in the wake of the death of three cheetahs in Kuno due to the tick infestation in the 2023 monsoon season.

Cheetahs aged above six months are given the anti-parasite treatment.

KNP now has 26 cheetahs.

Two male cheetahs, Agni and Vayu, have recently been shifted to Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary in Mandsaur district in Madhya Pradesh from the KNP.

The anti-parasite medication of cheetahs involves the complex process of capture, chemical immobilization and application of the medicine and monitor of the post-immobilization phase.

The process of application of the medicine requires careful parting of the fur at the base of the skull or between the shoulder blades, extending along the spine, to ensure direct contact of the solution with the skin.

This necessitates a safe and well-coordinated chemical immobilization effort.