Trans-border workshop of wildlife experts, forest officials on Cheetahs held in MP's Gwalior

A trans-border meeting of wildlife experts and officials from the forest department of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan was held in Gwalior on Tuesday. The meeting aimed at creating awareness among people about Cheetahs and wild animals' free-ranging activities.

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): An orientation programme was convened for creating awareness about Cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior on Tuesday. The wildlife experts and top-ranking forest officials from the neighbouring states such as Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh were present at the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to involve all stakeholders, who were associated with Cheetah conservation, in the country. Cheetah is a free-ranging wild animal. They are straying out of Kuno National Park and visiting the surrounding forest areas and human habitations.

So, people will be made aware of the movement of Cheetahs. People living close to the wildlife sanctuaries in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan will be given tips about Cheetah's behavioural aspects and how to deal with them. Gwalior Commissioner Deepak Kumar Singh briefing reporters about the outcome of the meeting said that one year of the Cheetah project at the Kuno National Park is on the verge of completion. "In today's meeting wildlife experts and forest officials from Delhi, Bhopal, Gwalior and Chambal Forest Division as well as officials from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, were present."

People's representatives, panchayat office-bearers and media persons were made aware of the movement of Cheetahs and its activities. "Now, Cheetahs were coming out of the Kuno National Park and visiting surrounding areas. There was the possibility of Cheetahs straying into neighbouring forest ranges located in Rajasthan and UP also. Therefore, such workshops will be organised in several other districts to make people aware of Cheetahs, Singh added.

Assistant Chief Conservator of Forest KK Singh of Bundelkhand division in Uttar Pradesh said, "Cheetah is a free-ranging wild animal and it can move to other territories also. Cheetahs cannot stick to one place. So, people living in adjoining states should be made aware of Cheetahs and their activities. It was a trans-border meeting of officials. Interestingly, no human killings were reported by Cheetahs. It does not mean that people should get close to the wild animal. People should not be scared of Cheetahs."