5 More Cheetahs To Be Released At Kuno National Park Today

Five more adult cheetahs will be released into the wild at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) on Wednesday.

Cheetahs would be released into the wild in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav during a programme organised by the state Forest Department at KNP in Sheopur.

According to Kuno officials, the preparation for releasing cheetahs into the open forest has been done under the supervision of a steering committee and senior forest officials.

It would be the second time when cheetahs would be released into open boma (enclosure) at KNP.

On Tuesday, five-year-old South African cheetah Veera gave birth to two healthy cubs.

With Wednesday's release, seven out of 12 adult cheetahs will roam freely into the KNP.

On December 4, 2024, two male cheetahs - Vayu and Agni - were released into the wild.

The Chief Minister said the growing cheetah population will have a positive impact on the state's tourism industry.

"With the increase in cheetah numbers, tourism in Madhya Pradesh is getting a boost and opening new doors for employment. We are always ready for the conservation, promotion, and restoration of wildlife," Chief Minister Yadav added.

Notably, India's ambitious 'project cheetah' was introduced after 70 years of their extinction from the country.

On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first batch of eight cheetahs, translocated from Namibia, into Kuno.

The second batch of 12 cheetahs was brought from South Africa on February 18, 2023.

Reports suggested that the third batch of 18 cheetahs, scheduled to be relocated from South Africa to Madhya Pradesh in February 2025, may delayed as the authorities are awaiting the quarterly progress of Cheetahs to be transported.

The new batch of Cheetahs is expected to be relocated to Kuno National Park in Sheopur and Gandhi Sagar in Mandsaur.

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