Relocation to be undertaken in accordance with the Cheetah Action Plan, according to officials
Officials plan to shift some African cheetahs from Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh to the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary located on the northern border of Mandsaur and Nimach districts, in the same state, the wildlife warden of KNP told Down To Earth (DTE).
JS Chauhan asserted that the relocation of new cheetahs would be undertaken in strict accordance with the Cheetah Action Plan. “The plan involves identifying newer habitats for cheetahs,” he said.
“A team of experts have chalked out a detailed plan about the animals’ monitoring, survival and other aspects. The step is being taken following the guidelines mentioned in the plan,” the official added.
Gandhi Sagar is about a five to six hour drive from Kuno. “The forest is spread across 368 square kilometres and has an additional 2,500 sq km area surrounding it. An enclosure spread over 60-70 sq km is being readied to house the cheetahs,” Chauhan said.
The wildlife warden added that the number of cheetahs to be moved has not yet been decided. “But some of the cheetahs would be shifted by year-end,” he confirmed.
Earlier this year in May, the Supreme Court had asked the central government to distribute cheetahs over a wider geographic range after noting that three cheetahs had died within a span of 45 days.
Since March, six cheetahs including three cubs have lost their lives at the KNP. In a recent incident on June 26, a male named Agni suffered injuries after a skirmish between two groups of cheetahs.
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Cheetahs are likely to be shifted from Kuno to Gandhi Sagar by year-end. Photo: Vikas Choudhary / CSE.png)
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