Kuno to Gandhi Sagar

Relocation Approved: The Cheetah Project Steering Committee has approved relocating some cheetahs from Kuno National Park (KNP) to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS) in Madhya Pradesh.

Project Goal: The move aims to establish a cheetah meta-population of 60-70 individuals across the Kuno-Gandhi Sagar landscape spanning Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

GSWS Preparation: The Madhya Pradesh forest department has been preparing GSWS for over a year for cheetah introduction.

Initial Phase: The plan is to release 4-5 cheetahs into a fenced 64 sq km area in the western part of GSWS after removing leopards to prevent conflict.

Source of Cheetahs: It is yet to be decided whether the cheetahs relocated will be from the wild or enclosures within Kuno. As of now there are 26 cheetahs in Kuno, 17 are in wild and 9 in enclosures

Prey Augmentation: Concerns about prey availability at Gandhi Sagar are being addressed by introducing chital from other forests and maintaining herbivore enclosures for in-situ breeding. Current prey includes chinkara, chousingha, nilgai and chital.

Project Setbacks: Project Cheetah has faced setbacks, including the deaths of 8 adult cheetahs and 5 cubs at Kuno.

Committee Concerns: The committee expressed displeasure over a video of a forest department driver offering water to a cheetah and cubs, emphasizing the need for better training and adherence to SOPs. They also stressed adequate water supply during summer.

Cheetah Introduction Rationale: Cheetahs were reintroduced to India to restore ecological balance and re-establish their role as apex predators.