MP; 9 Cheetahs Lands In Kuno From Botswana, Take Population Of Big Cats To 48 In India, Improves Sex Ratio Of Animal Species In New Home
-Bhopal: Nine cheetahs from Botswana landed in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district on Saturday, taking the number of big cats in the country to 48.
This was the third group of cheetahs transported from Africa to Kuno National Park in the last four years as part of the Cheetah Project.
Nine cheetahs, six females and three males, were transported from Mokolodi Nature Reserve to Gaborone Airport in Botswana, from where they were transported by a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force, an eight-hour journey to Gwalior Air Force base in Madhya Pradesh.
The cheetahs were shifted by helicopters from Gwalior Air Force base to Kuno National Park and later released in quarantine bomas (enclosed areas) in the Park by Union environment, forest and climate change minister Bhupendra Yadav.
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“With a thriving population of 39 cheetahs in India, including 28 Indian-born cubs, the ambitious Cheetah Project under the environmentally conscious leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a huge success,” he added.
Eight cheetahs were first spotted in Botswana for relocation to Kuno National Park, sources said. A male cheetah was later added to the group for translocation.
“Cheetahs transported from Botswana will be subjected to mandatory health monitoring and acclimatization protocols in accordance with laid down guidelines before their final release into the wild,” Cheetah Project Field Director Uttam Kumar Sharma told this newspaper.
The arrival of the third group of cheetahs from the African continent has improved the sex ratio of the big cat population in Kuno National Park, raising the possibility of increasing the natural reproduction of the species.
With the arrival of nine cheetahs from Botswana, the population of big cats in Kuno National Park has increased to 45, including 28 Indian-born cubs.
Three cheetahs (two male and one female) were earlier shifted from Kuno to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district.
Cheetahs became extinct in India in 1952.
