An additional African cheetah was relocated from an enclosure and set free in the wild at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district on Thursday, increasing the total number of these big cats to four. This move allows tourists to catch a glimpse of them over a year after their translocation. The male cheetah, Pavan, was brought from Namibia in September last year and was released in the KNP’s Nayagaon area, falling under the Peepalbaodi tourist zone.
Now, visitors to the KNP can view Pavan and the three other cheetahs that have already been released into the wild, according to the official.
The 15 surviving cheetahs (seven males, seven females, and a cub) at the KNP were previously kept in enclosures for health monitoring by a team of veterinarians. Unfortunately, six adult cheetahs and three cubs have died due to various reasons.
Female cheetah ‘Veera’ was released into the wild in the Nayagaon forest range on December 20, according to a release from the chief conservator of forest (tiger project). Prior to that, two male cheetahs, ‘Agni’ and ‘Vayu,’ were released in the Parond forest range, falling under the Ahera tourism zone of the national park, on Sunday.
As part of the Cheetah Reintroduction Project, eight felines (five females and three males) were brought from Namibia on September 17, 2022, and were initially kept in enclosures at the KNP. Subsequently, 12 more cheetahs arrived at the national park from South Africa in February this year. In March 2023, four cubs were born to a Namibian cheetah, Jwala, but unfortunately, three of them died in May.
