Female Cheetah Relocation: From Kuno to Gandhi Sagar on September 17

rapid Summary

• A female cheetah is set to be transferred from Kuno national Park in Sheopur district to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur district on September 17.
• This comes four months after two male cheetahs, Prabhas and Pawak, were moved to Gandhi Sagar. The transfer aligns with the third anniversary of Project Cheetah, which aims to reintroduce African cheetahs into Indian habitats.
• Officials confirm that all safety protocols will be followed for the road transfer.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district on September 17 to inaugurate India’s first PM MITRA Park and celebrate his 75th birthday-marking three years as he initiated India’s cheetah reintroduction program with eight translocations from Namibia at Kuno in 2022.
• Earlier this week, a sub-adult Indian-born female cheetah was found dead at Kuno National Park after an apparent fight with a leopard; further details are pending post-mortem results. Despite this incident, Kuno now hosts 25 cheetahs (9 adults and 16 Indian-born), deemed healthy by officials.

Indian Opinion Analysis
Project Cheetah demonstrates India’s commitment toward restoring biodiversity through species reintroduction initiatives like the African cheetahs’ translocation.The move of another female to Gandhi Sagar emphasizes efforts to diversify the population within new protected areas-an essential step for broader habitat establishment and long-term conservation goals. However, challenges such as intra-predator conflicts underscore complexities inherent in balancing wildlife dynamics within shared ecosystems like Kuno National Park.

The timing of these developments alongside Prime Minister Modi’s visit highlights how environmental stewardship is intertwined with national policy priorities-a reminder of both opportunities and responsibilities in bolstering conservation alongside economic projects like PM MITRA Parks.

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