India considers sourcing cheetahs from Northern Hemisphere countries to avoid biorhythm issues
• India faced challenges with cheetahs brought from Southern Hemisphere countries due to differences in circadian rhythms, leading to the death of three cheetahs.
• The cheetahs developed thick winter coats during the Indian summer, anticipating the African winter, and suffered from maggot infestations and blood infections.
• To address this issue, India considered sourcing cheetahs from countries closer to the equator or in the Northern Hemisphere, such as Somalia, Tanzania, and Sudan.
• Discussions are ongoing with Southern Hemisphere countries as well, but the focus is on immediate concerns like prey augmentation and managing the leopard population.
• The goal is to eventually source cheetahs from Northern Hemisphere countries to avoid biorhythm complications and ensure better adaptation to local climatic conditions.