Kuno National Park Welcomes 3 More Cheetahs, Boosting Total Count to 6

Bhopal: In a recent development at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh, three additional cheetahs have been released into the wild, bringing the total count to six. The cheetahs, named Agni and Vayu (males) and Gamini (female), were brought from South Africa and released on Friday. This brings the total number of released cheetahs at KNP to six, while there are currently 11 translocated felines and four cubs remaining in enclosures.

Among the previously introduced cheetahs, three Namibian females and one male are still kept in enclosures. One of the female Namibian cheetahs will be released into the free-range area in the coming days. However, another female cheetah from Namibia had recently given birth to cubs, making her unsuitable for release. The third female cheetah is also not fit for release into the forest. Additionally, a male Namibian cheetah named Oban, which had strayed out of the conservation area and was rescued last month, is being kept in an enclosure.

The reintroduction program of cheetahs in India began with the arrival of eight Namibian cheetahs, including five females and three males, who were released into special enclosures at KNP on September 17 last year. Subsequently, on February 18 this year, 12 cheetahs (seven males and five females) were brought from South Africa to KNP.

Unfortunately, three cheetahs named Daksha, Sasha, and Uday died in enclosures in the past two months among the translocated felines. However, one cheetah named Siyaya successfully gave birth to four cubs in March this year at KNP.

Cheetahs became extinct in India in 1947, with the last sighting in Koriya district (now part of Chhattisgarh). The species was declared extinct in the country in 1952. The reintroduction program at Kuno National Park aims to revive the cheetah population in India and restore the ecological balance of the region.