Kuno National Park, situated in Madhya Pradesh, is set to welcome seven more cheetahs, including two females, into the wild by mid-June, according to a recent announcement by the chairman of the high-level committee overseeing the highly touted Cheetah Reintroduction Project. Last year, on September 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated this grand endeavour by releasing the first batch of eight cheetahs, imported from Namibia, into a quarantine enclosure at Kuno. The second wave of translocation occurred on February 18, with an additional 12 cheetahs flown in from South Africa.
Unfortunately, March and April saw the death of three cheetahs. Out of the remaining 17 adult cheetahs, seven have already been successfully released into the wild.
Rajesh Gopal, chairman of the panel and Secretary General of the Global Tiger Forum, addressed potential concerns about the project’s progress, stating, “The project is on track and there’s no cause for worry. We have decided to release seven more cheetahs, including two females, by the third week of June.”
The future releases are among the 10 cheetahs currently in larger fenced acclimatisation camps. The three who will not be released yet are from Namibia’s captive stock and require further time to prepare for rewilding.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority approved the release of five additional cheetahs (besides the three already in the wild at the time) before the onset of the monsoon season on May 8.
The harsh weather conditions during monsoons usually discourage the release of animals into the wild, as it makes their adaptation to a new environment, including finding food and shelter, much more challenging.
The cheetah project steering committee, consisting of 11 members, held its inaugural meeting at Kuno on Thursday, signalling a hopeful start to this crucial conservation initiative.
