When science, transparency take backseat: Jairam Ramesh on cheetah death

NEW DELHI: Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh lashed out at the Modi government on Wednesday over the latest cheetah death in the Kuno National Park, saying this is what happens when "science and transparency take a backseat". The Congress general secretary said the argument that all these deaths are expected mortality is "complete nonsense" and has been debunked by international cheetah experts.

One more cheetah has died at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, making it the ninth feline to die since March, according to a statement from the state forest department.

"This morning, one of the female cheetahs - Dhatri (Tiblisi) -- was found dead. To determine the cause of the death, a postmortem is being conducted," the statement from the Madhya Pradesh forest department read.


Reacting to the development, Ramesh said on Twitter, "Something has really gone wrong at Kuno...The ninth cheetah death took place this morning. The argument that all these deaths are expected mortality is complete nonsense and has been debunked by international cheetah experts."

"This is what happens when science and transparency take a backseat. This is what happens when one man's vanity and desperate need for self-glory takes over," Ramesh said.

Fourteen cheetahs -- seven males, six females and a female cub -- are kept in enclosures in Kuno. A team comprising Kuno wildlife veterinarians and a Namibian expert regularly monitors their health.