Dehradun: Following the success of Project Cheetah in Madhya Pradesh, preparations are underway to establish cheetah habitats in Rajasthan and many other states.
Project Cheetah, an ambitious initiative of the central government to reintroduce large carnivore species into India, celebrated its two-year anniversary last month. The project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi two years ago on his birthday, September 17th, by releasing two cheetahs into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
After Kuno, now there are plans to bring cheetahs into the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary of Madhya Pradesh. Fencing has been done in an area of about 80 square kilometres following an expert study. During the study, Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary adjacent to the Rajasthan border has been considered better for cheetahs.
Senior scientist of the Wildlife Institute of India, Professor Qamar Qureshi said that after Madhya Pradesh, there are plans to expand Project Cheetah in Rajasthan and some other states. He said that efforts are being taken to bring cheetahs into the protected areas of some other states as well, for which the rest of the places are currently being studied.
Professor Qamar Qureshi stated that a minimum of 50 cheetahs will need to be relocated for Project Cheetah to be successful. Suitable locations for the cheetahs are currently being sought in states other than Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The project has commenced with 20 cheetahs from Kuno National Park, with plans to gradually increase this number by bringing in cheetahs from other countries to additional locations.
There are currently 24 cheetahs in Kuno National Park, including 12 adult cheetahs and 12 cubs. The park has a forest area of 3200 square kilometres, and scientists believe that each cheetah needs about 50 square kilometres for roaming.
The carrying capacity standard for Kuno National Park is set at 20 to 21 cheetahs, but with 24 cheetahs currently present, the park can accommodate the same number of cheetahs in the future. To address this, Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is being prepared for cheetahs, and there are discussions to bring 3 to 5 cheetahs from abroad, with talks being held with Namibia, South Africa, and Kenya.
