MP: 3 Cheetahs Released Into Wild in Kuno, PM Lauds Conservation Efforts on International Cheetah Day
The event, presided over by chief minister Mohan Yadav, marked the International Cheetah Day celebration by the national park
Bhopal: Three cheetahs, Veera and her two 10-month-old cubs, were on Thursday released into the wild from their enclosures in the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district.
The event, presided over by chief minister Mohan Yadav, marked the International Cheetah Day celebration by the national park.
With this, the number of free ranging cheetahs in the KNP has increased to 19.
Ten other cheetahs, kept in the enclosures in the KNP, are waiting to be released into the wild in Kuno.
The three cheetahs were released in the Parond Forest area, a designated tourism zone within the KNP, where the presence of the cheetah family is expected to further enhance ecotourism opportunities and public engagement with the ‘Project Cheetah’, field director of the KNP Uttam Kumar Sharma said.
Post-release monitoring will continue through advanced radio-tracking and dedicated field teams to ensure their safety and successful integration into the landscape, he added.
Mr. Yadav released the Kuno National Park calendar for the year 2026, along with the newly developed ‘Field Manual for Clinical Management of Free-Ranging Cheetahs in Kuno National Park’ on the occasion.
He also inaugurated the newly built souvenir shop of the KNP, further enriching the visitor experience and promoting conservation awareness.
Madhya Pradesh is now home to 32 cheetahs- 29 in the KNP and three in the Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary.
Eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 others from South Africa were translocated to the KNP under the ‘Cheetah Reintroduction Project’ three years ago.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the conservation efforts by India on the occasion of International Cheetah Day.
In an X post, he said, “On International Cheetah Day, my best wishes to all wildlife lovers and conservationists dedicated to protecting the cheetah, one of our planet’s most remarkable creatures. Three years ago, our Government launched Project Cheetah with the aim of safeguarding this magnificent animal and restoring the ecosystem in which it can truly flourish. It was also an effort to revive lost ecological heritage and strengthen our biodiversity”.
