A South African cheetah relocated to India in a bid to reintroduce the big cat from injuries sustained during mating with two male cheetahs.
The female, Daksha, was one of 12 South African cheetahs relocated to Kuno National Park along with another eight from Namibia.
She was found injured on Tuesday morning but died at noon, the park said in a statement. The death brings to three the number of cheetahs found dead at the park to three since March.
"Initial assessment reveals the wounds on the female cheetah appear to have been caused by the male cheetah. Such violent behaviour is normal during mating," the park said in a statement.
The incident happened three days after the male cheetahs entered the female's enclosure.
"It's normal for male cheetahs to behave violently with the female during mating and it's impossible for the monitoring team to interfere with the cats at that time," the statement added.
The ‘Project Cheetah’ was meant to reintroduce the species that disappeared from India 70 years ago. It aims to bring in about 100 of the animals over the next decade.
Last month, a male cheetah called Uday died. Earlier in March a female cheetah from Namibia died of a suspected kidney ailment.
Critic s have warned the creatures may struggle to adapt to the Indian habitat due to competition for prey from a significant number of leopards, the AFP reports.
