Even because the Centre is in talks with Kenya, South Africa and Botswana to translocate the subsequent batch of cheetahs to Madhya Pradesh, the Cheetah Mission Steering Committee is learnt to have cleared the relocation of among the cheetahs from Kuno Nationwide Park to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
The steering committee, nevertheless, suggested that the relocation of the cheetahs to Gandhi Sagar, though in the identical state, needs to be carried out with care, bearing in mind stress elements like the warmth whereas shifting them by street. Gandhi Sagar is about 300 kilometres from Kuno.
The choice, taken at a gathering final week, comes whilst considerations linger over availability of satisfactory prey and the presence of leopards, the competing co-predators.
“It was mentioned and agreed that just a few cheetahs might be moved to Gandhi Sagar quickly,” stated a supply conscious of the developments.
Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary has been earmarked as an vital hyperlink for long-term conservation of cheetahs, with the goal to ascertain a metapopulation of 60-70 cheetahs throughout the Kuno-Gandhi Sagar panorama, unfold throughout Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
For over a 12 months now, the Madhya Pradesh forest division has been making ready Gandhi Sagar for the introduction of cheetahs. Though it was to be a house for the subsequent batch of African cheetahs, talks between India and African nations haven’t materialised but.
Within the first section, the plan is to launch four-five cheetahs right into a fenced space within the western a part of the sanctuary. An space of 64 sq. kilometres has been cordoned off and leopards have been moved out to stop battle between the 2 wild cats.
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It’s but to be finalised if the cheetahs to be moved to Gandhi Sagar can be these which have been launched into the wild at Kuno, or the others that are nonetheless inside giant enclosures. Of the 26 cheetahs at Kuno, 17 are within the wild and 9 stay in enclosures.
A deficit of prey at Gandhi Sagar has been a priority and the steering committee mentioned the continued efforts to reinforce prey base via introduction of chital from different forests of Madhya Pradesh. For in-situ (on-site) breeding of prey, there are herbivore enclosures at Gandhi Sagar.
“Prey augmentation has been an ongoing course of at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. We’ve got chinkara, chousingha, nilgai and chital among the many prey base,” stated Subharanjan Sen, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), Madhya Pradesh Forest Division.
The steering committee can also be learnt to have mentioned the latest controversy triggered by a video clip of a driver employed by the forest division providing water to a cheetah and her cubs. Expressing displeasure, the members suggested the state forest division to make sure compliance of ordinary working procedures relating to interactions with the cheetahs.
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The committee famous that the incident mirrored lack of coaching and requested the state authorities to step up sensitisation efforts and involvement of ‘cheetah mitras’, the grassroots wildlife volunteers. The committee additionally requested the authorities to make sure satisfactory water provide throughout peak summer season.
The Cheetah Mission Steering Committee was constituted by the Nationwide Tiger Conservation Authority in Might 2023 to evaluation and monitor the mission, and in addition act as an advisory physique.
Mission Cheetah kickstarted in 2022 with the translocation of eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa to Kuno Nationwide Park. The mission has confronted setbacks with the deaths of eight of those cheetahs and 5 cubs born in Kuno.
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