BHOPAL: A year after 12 cheetahs from South Africa joined eight Namibian cheetahs at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav joined Bhupender Yadav, Union minister for environment, forest and climate change, in a review of the project on Monday.
The review meeting which was held at a resort in Saisipura area of Sheopur district (around 45 km from the KNP) was attended by all top centre and state officials related to the cheetah project.
A slew of decisions was taken at the meeting, including making MP the hub of forest-based job oriented economy, with the KNP forming its fulcrum.
The Union minister said a team of experts from Namibia and South Africa will conduct fresh surveys for introducing African cheetahs at the Gandhi Sagar and Nauradehi Wildlife sanctuaries in MP.
Addressing the meeting, the MP CM said, “By transforming MP into a forest based economy, particularly an ecotourism hub in the country, around 2 lakh people will get jobs in Kuno and adjoining areas only.”
While maintaining that MP was the central point of eco-tourism in the country, Union minister Bhupender Yadav said that Kuno will be turned into an ecotourism hub and a central ecotourism center too would be established.
“We’ll work to turn Kuno and the adjoining region into a unique model of economic development. Over the next five years, Kuno will be established in the international tourism market with the aim of making it the first region to have an Rs 1000 crore economy without any industry,” the union minister said.
“In the future over 40,000 tourists are likely to visit Kuno annually, the young generations of Kuno and neighbourhood will be trained in various spheres, including catering, tourist guiding and photography skills to cater to tourist requirements and generate jobs and livelihood for local people. Outlets of unique products of the region to be operated by women self-help groups would also be established,” the minister said.
While 20 cheetahs (8 from Namibia and 12 from South Africa) were housed at the KNP between September 2022 and February 2023, seven of them have died so far. Currently, there are 21 cheetahs at the KNP, including 13 adults and eight cubs, including an 11-month-cub.
According to an MP government statement, on the request of the MP CM, the Union minister also assured that a dedicated Madhya Pradesh Elephant Project would be started under which forest dwellers of areas which are frequented by elephants will be trained as Gaj Mitras.
A central team comprising experts who have experience of dealing with elephants in Assam and Kerala will soon study the elephant herds in MP and submit a report to the state government, which will enable the state to work on elephant conservation.
The eastern MP districts – Umaria, Shahdol and Anuppur – are dealing with issues related to wild elephants from Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Just this month, three men have been reportedly killed in the three eastern MP districts by wild elephants.
The MP forest minister Nagar Singh Chouhan, meanwhile, said that the army of Cheetah Mitras in areas neighbouring the KNP have been given bicycles now, but they will be equipped with motorbikes in future.
