SHEOPUR :
THE only free-ranging cheetah in
Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park
has died, with officials suggesting drowning to be the primary cause of death.
Wildlife activists, however, suspect
poaching although there were no external injuries on the Namibian cheetah
Pawan, found lying near the edge of a
swollen nullah amid bushes around 10:30
am on Tuesday.
According to a statement, veterinarians were alerted and a closer inspection
revealed that the front half of the cheetah’s body, including the head, was submerged in water.
“The preliminary cause of death
appears to be drowning. Further details
will be provided after the postmortem
report is received,” the statement said.
The incident comes as India is expediting efforts to bring a new batch of
cheetahs by the end of the year.
“We are actively engaging with South
Africa on the matter. A delegation will
visit the country in late September or
early October to hold ground-to-ground
negotiations,” an official from the
National Tiger Conservation Authority
told PTI on Tuesday.
“We have communicated to South
Africa that we want to expedite efforts The Prime Minister had on Monday
briefed US President Joe Biden on his
visit to Ukraine and conveyed India’s
full support for early return of peace
to the region through dialogue and
diplomacy.
The Ministry of External
Affairs inastatement later said Modi
duringhistelephoneconversationwith
Putin recalled his “successful visit to
Russia”lastmonthtoparticipateinthe
22nd India-Russia Bilateral Summit.
“The two leaders exchanged views
on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Prime Minister shared insights
from his recent visit to Ukraine. He
underlined the importance of dialogue
and diplomacy as well as sincere and
practical engagement between all
stakeholderstoachieveanabidingand
peacefulresolutionoftheconflict,”the
MEA said.
Thetwoleaders“reviewedprogress”
onanumberofbilateralissuesanddiscussed measures to further strengthen the special and privileged strategic
partnershipbetweenIndiaandRussia,
it said.
“They also exchanged views on a
range of regional and global issues of
mutual interest,” the statement said,
adding, the two leaders agreed to
remain in touch.