Cheetah, Which Strayed Out Of Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, Rescued

cheetah, which strayed out of madhya pradesh’s kuno national park, rescued

A cheetah strayed out of the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh and was spotted in a village in Rajasthan’s Karauli on Saturday, a forest department official said.

Karauli Wildlife Deputy Conservator of Forest Piyush Sharma said, “Information was received about a wild animal in Simara village. The animal was identified as a male cheetah.”

The cheetah, from the Kuno National Park, reached the Simara village (around 50 kilometres) via Sheopur and Sabalgarh of Madhya Pradesh. Both these cities are adjacent to the Chambal river and Simara village of Karauli is also situated on the banks of Chambal, Piyush Sharma said, PTI reported.

Upon receiving the information about the cheetah, a team of forest department officials of Rajasthan and an MP reached the spot and caught the animal, he said.

However, this is not an isolated incident. Four months ago, a cheetah went missing from Kuno National Park in Sheopur and was found in the forest of Baran district adjacent to MP and Rajasthan. Acting on it, the Kuno’s team reached Baran and tranquillised the cheetah to rescue it.

In March, the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district witnessed a significant milestone in wildlife conservation as a five-year-old cheetah, brought from South Africa, gave birth to five cubs. It was brought to India as part of a reintroduction project. This brings the total number of Indian-born cubs to 13, while the overall cheetah count, including the cubs, is now 26 at the Kuno park.

Sharing the news, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav took to X(formally Twitter), saying, “High Five, Kuno! Female cheetah Gamini, age about 5 years, brought from Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa, has given birth to 5 cubs today. This takes the tally of the Indian-born cubs to 13. This is the fourth cheetah litter on Indian soil and the first litter of cheetahs brought from South Africa.”

“Congratulations to all, especially the team of forest officers, vets, and field staff who have ensured a stress-free environment for cheetahs, which has led to successful mating and birth of the cubs. The total number of cheetahs, including cubs in Kuno National Park, is 26. Gamini’s legacy leaps forward: Introducing her adorable cubs,” added the Forest Minister.

Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952. In 2022, eight Cheetahs – brought from Namibia – were introduced in India under Project Cheetah. Subsequently, 12 cheetahs from South Africa were also translocated and released in Kuno National Park in February 2023.