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According to officials, India will bring eight cheetahs from Botswana in southern Africa in two phases, including four by May.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) participated in a review meeting of the cheetah project on Friday where Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav were also present, the release said.
“Efforts are underway to bring more cheetahs from South Africa, Botswana, and Kenya to India. Eight cheetahs will be brought to India in two phases. There is a plan to bring four cheetahs from Botswana to India by May. After this, four more cheetahs will be brought. At present, consent is being developed on an agreement between India and Kenya,” the NTCA officials said.
They told that over ₹112 crore has been spent on the cheetah project in the country so far, of which 67 per cent went to cheetah rehabilitation in Madhya Pradesh.
“Under Project Cheetah, cheetahs will now be relocated in a phased manner in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary. The sanctuary is adjacent to the border of Rajasthan, so an in-principle agreement has been reached between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to establish an inter-state cheetah conservation area,” the release added, stating special training is being given to “cheetah mitras” in Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary to improve their capacity.
Cheetahs in Kuno National Park
Forest officials said that there are 26 cheetahs at Kuno National Park, comprising 16 in the open forest and 10 in the rehabilitation centre. 14 are India-born cubs. 24-hour tracking occurs using satellite collar IDs to oversee the cheetahs.
They said female cheetahs, namely Jwala, Asha, Gamini and Veera have given birth to cubs, saying that the number of tourists in KNP has doubled in two years. Eight Namibian cheetahs, including five females and three males, were released in KNP on September 17, 2022, becoming the first-ever intercontinental translocation of the big cats.
The state government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking permission to start cheetah safari in Kuno. This permission is necessary to start safari in forest areas or eco-sensitive zones. The decision on this petition is yet to be made,” the release mentioned.
12 more cheetahs were translocated from South Africa to KNP in February, 2023.
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