Following the death of two of its cheetahs, the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens of Mysore will seek the advice of a South African expert.
Zoo officials said that the expert is expected to arrive in a week.
The zoo had procured three male and two female cheetahs from Leipzig Zoo, Germany, a few months ago as part of an animal exchange programme.
The carnivores then became’s the zoo’s centrepiece, with the zoo logging in more visitors since then.
However, a female cheetah died after delivering five cubs, following health complications. One of the cubs, too, died a week within its birth.
Two days ago, another female cheetah died due to internal injuries reportedly sustained from a fall. These deaths worried zoo authorities as they were pinning their hopes on breeding in captivity.
Besides, local veterinarians may not be experienced to handle these carnivores, which are extinct in India.
Leipzig Zoo had obtained the cheetahs from a private farm in Johannesburg, South Africa — where they were given to roaming in large open forests.
Executive director of Mysore Zoo M Ravi told Express that they contacted the wildlife expert.
“We are ready to foot all his expenses, including boarding and lodging. We expect a positive reply soon. Our immediate aim is to save the cheetah,” he said.
The Zoo Governing Council approved the same. He added that the cheetah needs plenty of open space and may collide with obstacles and injure itself in the zoo while running around.
Ravi detailed that they will seek advice on whether conditions inside the zoo need to be modified to emulate those in South Africa. He added that they follow the diet chart provided by the German zoo.
Some cheetahs are now kept in another enclosure. Of the four surviving cubs, another is weak and recuperating. The other three are quite happy, he added.