MP/Cheetah Pawan, ‘Casanova of Kuno,’ Dies Due to Drowning; Feline Count Now Down to 24 in Kuno

Bhopal: Male cheetah Pawan, popularly known as ‘Casanova of Kuno’ for charming the female partners in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday died ‘due to drowning’ in a flooded rivulet in the wildlife sanctuary.

The six-year-old cheetah, brought from Namibia along with seven other felines in September 2022 to KNP under the cheetah reintroduction project of India, was found dead near a nala or rivulet at around 10.30 AM in the wildlife sanctuary, KNP field director Uttam Kumar Sharma told this newspaper.

According to Mr Sharma, Pawan was found lying near the edge of a ‘nala’ amid bushes without any movement at around 10.30 AM on Tuesday. The ‘nala’ was running full due to the rain.

Vets were informed and on closer inspection, it was found that the front half of the body including head was inside the water with no external injuries seen anywhere on the body.

“Preliminary cause of death seems to be due to drowning. Further details will be known after the PM (post-mortem) report”, Mr Sharma, who is also director of the Lion Project, said.

With Pawan’s death, KNP has now left with 24 cheetahs including 12 cubs.

Pawan was the lone cheetah that was in the wild in KNP since December last year.

Pawan, born in the wild at Erindi Reserve of Namibia, was the only male cheetah in Kuno National Park which fathered cubs from two female cheetahs, Aasha and Jwala.

The well built big cat was called ‘Casanova of Kuno’ by the forest officers in the park as it had been found that the female cheetahs in KNP were feeling quite comfortable with it and enjoyed its company.

Pawan had fathered three cubs, born in one litter to female cheetah Aasha on January three, 2024 and four cubs, born in the second litter of Jwala on January 22 this year.

Pawan’s offspring comprise more than half of the cheetah cub population in Kuno National Park.

“Pawan, whose Namibian name was Oban, left the best of him behind as he fathered two litters and helped find a new population of cheetahs in India”, a Namibian cheetah expert told this newspaper.

Eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa were brought to Kuno National Park under the cheetah introduction project.

According to the Namibian cheetah expert, cheetahs can die from drowning. They are not good swimmers. Tigers and jaguars are known as aquatic cats. Tigers have semi-webbed toes that help them move in water.