Sagar, Oct 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) Two cheetahs from Kuno National Park will be shifted to the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh on October 7.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will release the male cheetah, ‘Tholo’, and female cheetah, ‘CCB-3’, into the reserve.
With this, Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve will become the third cheetah habitat in Madhya Pradesh after Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
The two cheetahs will initially be housed in a 439-hectare enclosure prepared by the Forest Department.
The area has been equipped with bomas and other facilities to ensure the animals’ safety and acclimatisation.
The department has also made arrangements for regular monitoring and healthcare of the cheetahs.
According to a state government statement, special arrangements have been made across approximately 439 hectares to facilitate the animals’ safety and acclimatisation.
Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve spans around 2,339 square kilometres across Sagar, Damoh and Narsinghpur districts.
It is the largest tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
The reserve was earlier known as the Nauradehi Tiger Reserve.
It received tiger reserve status in September 2023 following the integration of the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary.
The reserve is named after Rani Durgavati, the 16th-century Gond queen remembered for her resistance against Mughal forces.
The reserve is home to tigers, leopards, chital, sambar, nilgai and bears.
It is also an important habitat for several endangered vulture species.
The relocation forms part of efforts to establish cheetahs in additional suitable habitats across Madhya Pradesh.
The state government said the move would also help promote wildlife tourism in the Sagar-Bundelkhand region.
According to the government, the release of the two cheetahs will make Veerangana Durgavati the third cheetah habitat in Madhya Pradesh.
The relocation comes a day after five cubs were born at Kuno National Park.
India-born female cheetah KJP21 gave birth to the cubs on October 5.
India’s cheetah population has now reached 60, including 41 born in the country.
All 60 cheetahs are currently in Madhya Pradesh.
Following the relocation, Kuno National Park will have 54 cheetahs, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary will have four, and Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve will have two.
Project Cheetah was launched on September 17, 2022, with the release of eight cheetahs brought from Namibia into Kuno National Park.
Another 12 cheetahs were brought from South Africa in 2023.
The project aims to re-establish a viable cheetah population in India.
The species was declared extinct in the country in 1952.
The proposed shift to Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve marks the latest step in expanding the programme beyond Kuno and creating multiple habitats for the species.
Source: IANS
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