MP: India’s cheetah project shows signs of achieving success, experts to explore new homes for feline: Union forest minister
Bhopal: Union forest, environment and climate change minister Bhupender Yadav has said that India’s cheetah project is showing signs of achieving its objectives.
Yadav who reviewed the cheetah project in Kuno National Park under Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh on Monday said that “It is a challenging project and the early indications are encouraging”.
Of the six criteria given in the ‘Action Plan’ for assessing the short-term success, the project has already met four criteria namely: 50 percent survival of introduced cheetahs, establishment of home ranges, birth of cubs in Kuno, and the contribution of the project to generate revenue for the local communities, directly through engagement of cheetah trackers and indirectly by way of appreciation of land value in the surrounding areas of Kuno, the review meeting has revealed.
The cheetahs in Kuno are adapting well to Indian conditions and showing expected acclimatisation through hunting, exploration of the landscape, protecting their kill, avoiding or chasing other carnivores like leopards and hyena, establishing territory, courtship and mating, the review meeting has found.
“The most heartening news so far has been the birth and survival of eight cubs on the Indian soil, taking the total number of cheetahs in Kuno to 21”, the Union minister said.
Eight cheetahs from Namibia and twelve from South Africa were brought to Kuno National Park a year ago in the cheetah introduction project.
Of them, eight cheetahs died due to various reasons. Two female cheetahs have meanwhile given birth to their cubs.
The review meeting was attended by chief minister Mohan Yadav, and Central and state officials related to the cheetah project, besides Union minister Mr Yadav. The Union minister said that a team of experts from Namibia and South Africa will conduct fresh surveys to explore new homes for African cheetahs in Gandhi Sagar and Nauradehi wildlife sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh.
He announced that Kuno will be turned into an ecotourism hub in the country with investment of Rs 1,000 crore over five years.
In the next five years, Kuno will be developed as an international tourist hotspot generating an estimated Rs 1,000 crore economy for the region, he added.
