MP: Documentary to Tell Story of Adoption of Kuno by African Cheetahs
Bhopal: A four-part web series is planned to tell the amazing story of the trials and tribulations and triumph of the African cheetahs while adopting Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh as their new home.
The web series is likely to be telecast by Discovery Network channel on the occasion of the second anniversary of relocation of eight cheetahs from Namibia to KNP, in the first-ever intercontinental translocation of carnivores, on September 17, 2022.
The documentary will tell the unique story of relocation of the African cheetahs in Kuno National Park, the first of its kind project in the world, sources said.
The documentary project has been cleared by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) (wildlife) of the Madhya Pradesh government recently and the film is set to be shot in Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (the proposed second home of African cheetahs in India) in the first half of this month, a senior forest officer told this newspaper here on Sunday.
The film is scheduled to be made by M/s Shen Films and Planting Productions and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is going to provide logistic support to the production unit to do the documentary, the forest officer said, requesting not to be quoted.
The documentary project is set to dwell on the extinction of cheetahs in India and then document the difficulties and challenges faced by the cheetahs in Kuno while settling down in their new home in Kuno National Park to create a meta-population of the feline, sources said.
The NTCA has earlier written a letter to the chief wildlife warden of Madhya Pradesh, seeking the latter’s support for the proposed web series project.
“It is requested to kindly facilitate M/s Shen Films and Planting Productions to undertake and complete filming at the Kuno National Park and the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary as per standard terms and conditions so that efforts of the country can be showcased to the world”, the letter said.
The then chief wildlife warden of Madhya Pradesh while clearing the documentary project on August 16 directed the authorities of Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary to ensure that a minimum number of crew members carry out their work under the supervision of officials/ veterinarians in the bomas (enclosures where cheetahs are kept in Kuno National Park).
Eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 others from South Africa were brought to Kuno National Park in the cheetah reintroduction project a couple of years ago.
While a few of them died due to various reasons, three female cheetahs have delivered cubs.
There are now 24 cheetahs including 12 cubs in Kuno National Park.
