“two more cheetahs, Tejas and Suraj, both males from South Africa, were also found dead. Veterinarians discovered that maggot-infested sores had developed under the cheetahs’ radio-tracking collars, causing septicemia. Two other cheetahs, Pawan and Guarav, have since been found with similar neck wounds, likely caused by the hot, wet climate.”

>So I guess the collars are becoming sodden and expanding in this climate which then is too tight and chafes the neck leading to ulceration and infection. My solution is to gather the cats back up, take off the collars, and return them to Africa.

Cheetahs are going to go extinct in the whild. This process has been ongoing for a long time and isn't entirely human caused, their niche is small and shrinking fast.

Cheetahs are going to continue on as pets. There are more cheetahs in Texas than in the wild in all the world combined. This is their new niche, and captivity is the only thing that will keep these animals from going extinct.

This is just terrible. I just feel sad as a lover of cats, big and small, that these beautiful animals are being used for political showboating. We should have kept them in a zoo or maybe in a large preserve, with a fewer number of animals brought in. Even though I am no animal expert, I have had experience with feeding and taking care of domestic/feral cats, and those guys can't stand one another. They used to fight each other for the small scraps of food I used to give them. The same thing was bound to happen for larger cats as well.

Deaths were expected since Cheetahs are a "fragile" big cat but the recent mortality rate does seem excessive. I hope the responsible experts/authorities have done all the necessary planning and are taking immediate corrective steps.

Funny quote: "What they have in Kuno is a mixed martial art tournament with cheetahs packed in at high densities and forest rangers as referees,"