BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government on Monday removed Jasbir Singh Chouhan, a senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, from his position as the state's chief wildlife warden.

This move comes in the wake of concerns regarding the frequent deaths of translocated cheetahs in Kuno National Park.

Chouhan, a highly respected officer with expertise in wildlife conservation, has been replaced by Aseem Srivastava, another experienced IFS officer.Jasbir Singh Chouhan has been widely acknowledged for his significant contributions to wildlife conservation.

He has received prestigious awards such as the Sanctuary Asia Wildlife Service Award in 2002 and the Award for Excellence in Active Wildlife Management in 2016.

Chouhan has been reassigned to the production wing of the forest department.While no official reason has been provided for Chouhan's sudden transfer, sources indicate that the decision was influenced by concerns expressed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) regarding the management of Project Cheetah.In response to the recent cheetah deaths, the MoEFCC clarified that out of the 20 adult cheetahs that were translocated, five had died due to natural causes.

The ministry dismissed reports suggesting that two cheetahs named Tejas and Suraj had succumbed to septicemia caused by neck injuries from collar rubbing, stating that such reports lacked scientific evidence and were speculative.The MoEFCC has also announced ongoing efforts to investigate the cause of the cheetah deaths.

This includes seeking consultations with international cheetah experts and veterinary doctors from South Africa and Namibia.

Independent national experts are currently evaluating the monitoring protocols, protection measures, managerial inputs, veterinary facilities, and training and capacity-building aspects of the cheetah conservation project.

The Cheetah Project Steering Committee, responsible for overseeing the project, is expected to provide their expert opinions in due course.Meanwhile, field officers in Kuno have been instructed to enhance surveillance of the cheetahs using binoculars, ensuring better monitoring and timely intervention to protect the remaining cheetah population.To support the cheetah conservation project, several measures have been planned.

These include the establishment of a Cheetah Research Center with facilities for rescue, rehabilitation, capacity building, and interpretation.

Additional forest areas will be brought under the administrative control of Kuno National Park for better landscape-level management.

Furthermore, more frontline staff will be deployed, a Cheetah Protection Force will be established, and a second home for cheetahs will be created in the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.To ensure effective management, the Government of India has deployed a dedicated team from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to work closely with field officials.

This team will analyze real-time field data collected by monitoring teams to make informed decisions on various aspects of management, including health and necessary interventions for improved conservation efforts.