MP: 2 cheetahs to be shifted from Kuno to Gandhi Sagar sanctuary

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday said two cheetahs will be shifted from Kuno National Park in the state’s Sheopur district to Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Mandsaur on April 20.

At present, 17 cheetahs are roaming in the wild at KNP, while nine are in enclosures.

In a statement on X, Yadav said the cheetah project will be expanded to Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary on April 20, adding that it will prove to be an important step towards wildlife conservation.

Earlier in the day, Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change Bhupender Yadav reviewed the cheetah project with Yadav and state government officials.

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Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said large-scale work is being done in Madhya Pradesh for the proper development of the ecosystem.

“Our government will develop Kuno National Park as an ideal wildlife tourist destination. Not only Kuno, even Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Mandsaur district will be full of cheetahs now,” an official release quoted him as saying.

“With the cooperation of the Union government, cheetahs will be released in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary on April 20. Two cheetahs will be shifted from Kuno National Park to Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary under tight security,” the CM said.

To increase tourism in KNP rapidly, the state government is also seriously considering developing direct road and air connectivity from Gwalior to Kuno, he added.

Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav said a task force of senior officials from the Forest, Tourism, Veterinary, Panchayat and Rural Development, Tribal Affairs and Transport departments must be formed to oversee the ongoing wildlife rehabilitation projects in the state.

A contract can be signed with Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal to train 400 ‘cheetah mitras’ from 80 villages of Sheopur district, the Union minister added.

“Work should also be done to prepare cheetah friends for nature tourism by training them for home stay,” he said.

Meanwhile, officials informed that the survival rate of cheetah cubs born in India (currently only in Madhya Pradesh) is the highest in the world.

In other countries, cheetah cubs are unable to survive due to lack of adaptation to the climate, they said, adding that Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is very suitable in terms of climate and environment for the big cats.

Eight Namibian cheetahs, comprising five females and three males, were released in KNP on September 17, 2022, marking the first-ever intercontinental translocation of the big cats.

In February 2023, 12 more cheetahs were translocated from South Africa to KNP.

At present, Kuno National Park has 26 cheetahs, including 14 India-born cubs.

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