Madhya Pradesh¡¯s National Park Set To Become Home Of Cheetahs After 70 Years

Kuno-Palpur National Park in Madhya Pradesh is all set to welcome the African cheetahs by next month after a gap of 70-years.

The fastest land animal in the world, declared extinct in the country in 1952, will find a new home in the Kuno-Palpur National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district probably at a time when India will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day, a senior forest department official said.

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¡°We are working on it. Cheetahs will come to Madhya Pradesh in August,¡± forest department's principal secretary Ashok Barnwal told PTI.

Brought under project

The African cheetahs are being brought under an intercontinental translocation project.

Asked whether the world's fastest mammals will be brought from Namibia or South Africa, Mr Barnwal said, ¡°Initially from South Africa.¡± On the status of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with these two countries on translocation of cheetahs, the top forest official said they are yet to be finalized.

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An MoU will be signed with South Africa soon, Mr Barnwal said without elaborating further.

No exact dates yet

Wildlife Institute of India (WII) dean and senior professor Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala also did not give any exact date for arrival.

The Dehradun-based institute is also involved in the translocation project.

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When pointed out that India was still to sign an MoU, either with Namibia or South Africa, for the cheetah reintroduction programme, Mr Jhala said a lot of legalities are involved in such projects.

¡°It depends on the (Indian) government. It (MoU) can be done in two days or it may take two months. There are a lot of legalities involved in it,¡± the WII dean said.

90% preparations done

Sheopur's divisional forest officer (DFO) Prakash Verma said 90 per cent preparations to house the animals on Indian soil have been completed.

¡°We were (during training) taught how to handle cheetahs and told about various aspects of their behaviour. Whatever we have learnt, we will be imparting those skills to over 125 staffers posted in KNP,¡± he said.

Cheetah last spotted in 1947

KNP is spread across an area of over 750 sq km and is capable of handling the carnivores as it has maintained a large prey base of cheetal, sambhar, blue bull, wild boar and langoor among others, Verma said.

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The country's last spotted cheetah died in Chhattisgarh in undivided Madhya Pradesh in 1947 and the wild animal was declared extinct in the country in 1952.

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