One of the cheetahs released into the wild in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park strayed into Sheopur town on the night of December 24-25, causing a stir among residents. A video of the feline wandering through the town went viral on social media.
Locals reported that the cheetah, named Agni, hunted a stray dog in a village on the town’s outskirts. It was seen passing through prominent locations, including Veer Savarkar Stadium, the collectorate office, and the Eco Centre, before moving toward a village near the buffer zone of the national park. By Wednesday morning, it was reportedly spotted near the Mor Dungri river.
Authorities at Kuno National Park assured that the cheetah is under constant surveillance. "Our monitoring teams have been keeping a vigil round-the-clock," said a senior forest officer, who refrained from disclosing the cheetah’s exact location, citing National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) safety guidelines.
The viral video showed a vehicle trailing the cheetah at night, prompting concerns about the feline’s safety and behavior in human-populated areas. Forest officials confirmed that Agni and another cheetah, Vayu, were released into the wild on December 6 after nearly a year in large enclosures. The remaining 22 cheetahs at Kuno will be released in phases.
Kuno National Park currently houses 24 cheetahs, including 12 cubs. This follows the ambitious cheetah reintroduction program, which began in September 2022 with eight cheetahs brought from Namibia. Another 12 cheetahs arrived from South Africa six months later, marking the first intercontinental translocation of carnivores. However, challenges persist, as three cheetahs succumbed to septicemia last year.
The sighting highlights both the progress and challenges of India's efforts to restore cheetahs to their natural habitat while managing human-wildlife interactions.
