Two cheetahs released in tourist zone of Kuno National Park

Bhopal: Agni and Vayu, two male cheetahs were released in the tourist zone of the Kuno National Park (KNP) in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh recently, an official said. The cheetahs were released in the Parond forest range, which falls under the Ahera tourism zone of the national park, an official release issued by the chief conservator of forest (tiger project) stated. Tourists can now catch a glimpse of the cheetahs, it stated.

Fifteen cheetahs (seven male, seven female, and a cub) were kept in bomas (enclosures) in the KNP since August this year as a team of veterinarians monitored their health. Six adult cheetahs have died since March due to various reasons, taking the total death count of felines, including three cubs, to nine.

Under the Cheetah Reintroduction Project, eight Namibian cheetahs five female and three male were released into enclosures at the KNP on September 17, 2022. In February this year, 12 more cheetahs arrived at the national park from South Africa. In March, four cubs were born to a Namibian cheetah named Jwala, of which three died in May.