Two South African male cheetahs in the Kuno National Park that had fatally injured a female cheetah last month themselves required veterinary care on Tuesday after clashing with two Namibian male cheetahs.

The two South African cheetahs, called the “White Walkers” coalition, have suffered injuries in a fight over territory with two Namibian cheetahs, called the “Rock Stars” coalition, but are responding well to treatment, wildlife scientists and officials said.

The showdown over territory at a time only 11 of 18 cheetahs are in the open wild, sharing Kuno’s unfenced area, could intensify debates among wildlife biologists over how many cheetahs Kuno can host without conflict among themselves or with neighbouring villages.

“Cheetahs tend to hold large home ranges — it is not surprising for them to clash as the two groups of males are settling near the enclosures,” an expert familiar with Namibian cheetahs told The Telegraph. “The theory is they are anchored to the territory by the familiar female cheetahs.”

Male cheetahs stick together after they disperse from their mothers and form a coalition for hunting, the expert said. Female cheetahs live solitary lives — they go with males to breed, then leave on their own to have cubs, and raise them for around 18 months. The cubs then disperse, male coalitions sticking together for life, and the females repeat the cycle.

South African wildlife staff had named the two cheetahs the White Walkers coalition after the humanoid creatures from the Game of Thrones TV series, while Namibian staff named the other coalition members Elton and Freddy, or “Rock Stars”. In India, the White Walkers have been named Agni and Vayu, while Elton and Freddy are Gaurav and Shaurya.

Wildlife staff in Kuno had observed another face-off between the two coalitions last week, but no cheetah was injured during that encounter. Officials declined to provide details of the injuries on the cheetahs but said the cheetahs had suffered “wounds.”

“Any injuries would need to be promptly treated since these cheetahs are under observation — cuts can pick up infections and could become potentially life-threatening,” said a cheetah specialist.

The Union environment ministry had brought eight cheetahs from Namibia in September last year and 12 from South Africa in February this year for its cheetah project that seeks to establish clusters of wild cheetah populations at several sites in the country.

The ministry’s project cheetah document has projected that Kuno — a 748sq km sanctuary — can host up to 21 cheetahs, but sections ofwildlife biologists familiar with cheetah behaviour in Africa have said Kuno does not have space for so many cheetahs.

“One territorial fight doesn’t necessarily mean that there will always be a fight for space — but it tells us the cheetahs can be hostile to one another in Kuno,” said Arjun Gopalaswamy, a statistical ecologist in Bangalore who is among scientists who believe Kuno cannot hold 21 cheetahs. “It would be preferable to have space between them.”

Kuno now already has 10-plus cheetahs in the open wild. At this count, Gopalaswamy said, the cheetah density in Kuno is already higher than what has been seen in open African areas. “But this excess could be temporary — if cheetahs are not brought back when they disperse.”