Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh): Oban, one of the four Namibian cheetahs that were released in the wild of Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district last month, sneaked out of the park and was seen in the Jhar Baroda village in Vijaypur, 20 km from the national park on Sunday morning. A video of the cheetah in farmland outside Kuno National Park went viral on social media. The video shows the Cheetah standing in a farmland where the locals were heard saying, "Go Oban Go....Please Oban go." The villagers then informed the forest department. On receiving the information, the Forest Department officials reached the spot to bring the cheetah back.
Also read: Female cheetah 'Sasha' from Namibia dies in Kuno National Park
The District Forest Officer (DFO) said, "Cheetah Oban, one of the cheetahs brought from Namibia, entered Jhar Baroda village of Vijaypur, which is 20 km from Kuno National Park. A monitoring team has also reached the village. Efforts are underway to bring the cheetah back." Oban and Asha were released into the wild on March 11, while Elton and Freddie were allowed to move into the free-range area on March 22. Eight Namibian cheetahs were brought to Kuno National Park as part of an ambitious reintroduction programme of the species and were released into special enclosures on September 17 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sasha, one of the cheetahs, died of a kidney ailment on March 27. Meanwhile, another, Siyaya, gave birth to four cubs, which were first spotted on March 29 and Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav tweeted and shared the news. In all, 12 cheetahs, comprising seven males and five females, were brought in from South Africa on February 18 this year.
