BHOPAL: Over two and half years after Kuno National Park (KNP) in ‘tiger state’ Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district became the first home to African cheetahs in the country, the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS) in Mandsaur district is set to become their second home.
Two adult cheetahs from KNP, possibly a South African male coalition – Prabhas and Pavak – will be relocated to the GSWS on April 20.
The official announcement in this regard was made at a meeting in Bhopal on Friday to review the implementation of the Cheetah Project in MP. The meeting was attended, among others, by Union forest minister Bhupender Yadav and MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Since last summer, the GSWS has been preparing the necessary infrastructure for the animals’ habitat. It has built three big enclosures for them in a
64 sqkm area. “The first two arrivals, the South African male coalition from KNP, will be kept together in one big enclosure,” an official at the sanctuary told this newspaper. As per National Tiger Conservation Authority, over `112 crore has been spent on the cheetah project, with 67% invested in MP.
While the male coalition will be shifted from KNP to GSWS (a distance of 300-odd km. separates them) on Sunday, more cheetahs will be translocated there in phases.
Additional cheetahs are expected from South Africa, Botswana, and Kenya. Four will likely be flown in from Botswana by May, and another four later. Negotiations with Kenya are also underway to translocate cheetahs to India.
An official stated on Friday that as the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary borders Rajasthan, both states have agreed to form an inter-state cheetah conservation complex.
Addressing the meeting, the CM revealed plans to enhance tourism at the KNP through improved direct road and air connectivity from Gwalior. He announced plans to develop a paved, all-season road from Gwalior to KNP and establish a tent city within the forests for tourists. While maintaining that the cheetah cubs born in MP have the highest survival rate in the world, the CM said, the GSWS offers an ideal environment for cheetahs.
The meeting was also informed about a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital and rescue center to be set up in Kuno with central assistance. The facility will serve cheetahs and support cattle care across the region.
The state will also tap into nature tourism’s potential and involve more youth and women in wildlife tourism. Women self-help groups and ‘Cheetah Mitras’ (local volunteers aiding cheetah conservation) will be trained as tourist guides.
Kuno reserve currently houses 26 cheetahs
Currently, the KNP has 26 adult cheetahs and cubs, including 17 in the wild and nine in the enclosures. Over seven decades after the fastest land animal became officially extinct in Indian wilds due to rampant hunting, eight Namibian cheetahs were flown to India and released at the KNP in September 2022, as part of the ambitious cheetah reintroduction project.