Four of eight cheetahs to be brought to India from Botswana in May

Eight cheetahs will be brought to India from Botswana in southern Africa in two phases, including four by May, officials said here on Friday.

A release from the Madhya Pradesh government said this information was given by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) officials who took part in a review meeting of the cheetah project here during the day in the presence of Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

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"Efforts are on to bring more cheetahs to India from South Africa, Botswana and Kenya. Eight cheetahs will be brought to India in two phases. There is a plan to bring four cheetahs from Botswana to India by May 2025. After this, four more cheetahs will be brought. At present, a consent is being developed on an agreement between India and Kenya," the release quoted NTCA officials as saying.

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In the meeting, NTCA officials informed that more than ₹112 crore has been spent on the cheetah project in the country so far, of which 67 per cent has gone into cheetah rehabilitation in Madhya Pradesh, the release stated.

"Under Project Cheetah, cheetahs will now be relocated in a phased manner in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary as well. Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is adjacent to the border of Rajasthan, so an in-principle agreement has been reached between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to establish inter-state cheetah conservation area," the release said.

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Currently, special training is being given to "cheetah mitras" in Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary to enhance their capacity, it added.

In the meeting, forest officials informed that currently there are 26 cheetahs in Kuno National Park, comprising 16 in the open forest and 10 in the rehabilitation centre (enclosures). Officials said 24-hour tracking is in place using satellite collar IDs to monitor the cheetahs. Female cheetahs Jwala, Asha, Gamini and Veera have given birth to cubs, they said, adding that the number of tourists in KNP has doubled in two years.

"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 zone. The decision on this petition is yet to be taken," the release said.

Eight Namibian cheetahs, comprising five females and three males, were released in KNP on September 17, 2022, marking the first-ever intercontinental translocation of the big cats. In February 2023, 12 more cheetahs were translocated from South Africa to KNP. At present, Kuno National Park has 26 cheetahs, including 14 India-born cubs.