NEW DELHI: A top Indian wildlife official has been removed after a scheme to relocate cheetahs from Africa saw eight felines die, raising questions about the high-profile project.

       Asiatic cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952 but their African cousins were reintroduced last year as part of a plan championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

       Eight cheetahs were brought in from Namibia, followed by another 12 from South Africa in February, with Modi presiding over the release of the first arrivals at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh state.

       Eight cheetahs have died in the last four months, with wildlife authorities attributing the deaths to natural causes.

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       But the top wildlife official in Madhya Pradesh, Jasbir Singh Chauhan, was transferred from his post by the state forest department on Monday, it said in a statement without giving reasons for his removal.

       Indian media reports have linked the transfer to the cheetah deaths, citing sources saying that there were concerns over the project’s management.

       Of the eight cheetahs that died, five were translocated animals, plus three of the four cubs born since their arrival — renewing concerns among experts about the project’s viability.

       Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2023