On April 20, two cheetahs from Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh Kuno National Park will be shifted to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife (GSW) Sanctuary in Mandsaur district. This decision comes after wildlife experts based their assessments on the fact that the 6,400-hectare enclosure at GSW is fully developed with adequate prey, water resources, solar fencing and advanced monitoring systems.
“A meeting between the Cheetah Steering Committee as well as the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and completion of the relocation plan concludes after that. The transfer will be approved by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, and he will personally let the cheetahs out of the cage into their new habitat. We have developed an enclosure of 6,400 hectares at Gandhi Sagar to welcome cheetahs as their second home,” he stated. “It is predator free and fenced with solar fencing to keep the animals safe.”
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Subhranjan Sen said the cheetahs will first be confined to one of the eight designated enclosures set up to house them in the canopy before being shifted to the larger expanse. According to forest officials, the area has a current prey base of between 1,250 spotted deer (chital) and any other species, which is enough for up to two or four cheetahs.
Kuno National Park now has 26 cheetahs, 17 in the wild and nine soft soft-release enclosures, at present. Although the park’s optimal carrying capacity is estimated between 20 to 24 cheetahs, some had already been transferred to the new location for the sake of the park’s survival.
A spokesman for a senior forest official confirmed that the two cheetahs chosen to be sent off to GSW would be tranquillised and transported by truck there. This is a major step towards establishing many sustainable cheetah habitats as India begins the reintroduction of the species.
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