8 African cheetahs to be translocated to MP by year-end: Official
BHOPAL/SHEOPUR: Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park will be the first wildlife reserve to get eight African cheetahs by the end of year, as part of India’s maiden intercountry big cat relocation project, said a forest official on Sunday. Cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal, was declared extinct in India in 1952, after the last spotted cheetah died in Chhattisgarh in 1947.
According to Alok Kumar, principal chief conservator of forest (Wildlife), in a letter issued on May 19, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change confirmed that five male cheetahs and three females will be donated by Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) of South Africa. The final call was taken after EWT national Cheetah Metapopulation manager Vincet Van Der Merwe visited Kuno eight days ago to check the preparations and suitable habitat for cheetahs, added Kumar.
Merwe found Kuno one of the best habitats for the translocation. He gave a few suggestions, including fencing and cutting of thorny trees, to make the park more suitable for the cheetahs by September, said Kumar.
Divisional forest officer, Sheopur,
PK Verma said, “Merwe said Kuno has the perfect grassland and prey base for cheetahs...”
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) some years back prepared a cheetah reintroduction project. The Supreme Court, too, approved the project in 2020 and formed a three-member committee comprising former director Wildlife of India Ranjit Singh, DG of Wildlife of India Dhananjay Mohan and DIG, Wildlife, Ministry of Environment and Forests to guide the National Tiger Conservation Authority in the translocation.
The Centre has allocated ₹14 crore for the project.
Additional PCCF (wildlife) JS Chauhan said, “The budget will be used for the development of fencing, cutting thorny trees, cages and transportation of cheetah from South Africa.”