Mandsaur
There has been a new twist in the plan to settle the cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh. The central government is talking about bringing more leopards from Kenya, South Africa and Botswana. At the same time, some cheetahs have been approved to send from Kuno National Park to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. The committee has also said that while carrying the cheetahs by road, the factors that are stressed should be taken care of.
The distance between both places is 300 km
Gandhi Sagar is about 300 km from Kunu. The decision was taken in a meeting held last week. There is still a concern whether Gandhi Sagar has enough prey for cheetahs and there are also hunter animals like leopards. Gandhi Sagar is considered an important place for long -term protection of cheetahs. Its goal is to create a population of 60-70 cheetahs in the Kuno-Gandhi Sagar region.
Gandhi Sagar is getting ready for cheetah for one year
The forest department of Madhya Pradesh has been preparing Gandhi Sagar for cheetahs for one year. Earlier, it was a plan that cheetahs coming from Africa would be kept here, but so far there is no talk between India and African countries. In the first phase, four-five cheetahs will be released into an enclosure in the western part of the sanctuary. The area of 64 square kilometers has been surrounded and leopards have been removed from there so that there is no fight between cheetahs and leopards. It is not yet decided whether the cheetahs brought from Kuno in Gandhi Sagar will be released or the cheetahs who are still in big enclosures.
17 leopards roaming in the forest of Kuno
In Kuno, 17 out of 26 cheetahs are in the forest and nine are in enclosures. Lack of hunting in Gandhi Sagar is a matter of concern. The committee also discussed efforts to increase hunting by bringing chital from other forests of Madhya Pradesh. There are also vegetarian animal enclosures in Gandhi Sagar so that the victim can be born there. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) of Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Subhajan Sen said that the work of increasing hunting is going on in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. We currently have Chinkara, Chausingha, Nilgai and Chital as a victim.
Cheetah Project Steering Committee is watching the matter
The Cheetah Project Steering Committee is looking at this entire matter. The committee also recently spoke on a video. In this video, a driver hired by the forest department was shown to feed the cheetah family. The members expressed displeasure over this and advised the Forest Department to ensure that the rules made to interact with the cheetahs.
What is the work of the Cheetah Project Steering Committee
The Cheetah Project Steering Committee was formed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority in May 2023. Its task is to review and monitor the project and act as an advisory body. The project cheetah started in 2022. Under this, eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa were brought to Koono National Park. The project was shocked when eight of these cheetahs and five cubs born in Kuno were killed.
