MP: Cheetah Brothers, Pavak, Prabhas, Make First Kill in New Home, Explore 50 sq km Enclosure in 12 hr
Cheetahs Pavak and Prabhas, relocated from Kuno National Park to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, made their first successful hunt within 36 hours, signaling good adaptation
Bhopal: Around 36 hours after they were relocated to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur district in Madhya Pradesh from Kuno National Park in the state, the two male cheetahs, Pavak and Prabhas, made the first kill in their new home early on Tuesday morning.
The two South African cheetahs, a coalition, chased an adult spotted deer for around one and half km before successfully hunting it, a forest officer said.
The cheetah-duo fed on their prey fully.
“Pavak and Prabhas hunted and killed an adult spotted deer early on Tuesday morning. This was their first kill in their new home”, divisional forest officer (DFO), Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Sanjay Raikher told this newspaper.
The cheetah pair was relocated to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary from Kuno National Park at around 5.30 pm on April 20.
The two big cats were released in a special enclosure spanning around 50 sq km after they were shifted to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, chosen as the second home of cheetahs after Kuno National Park.
“The two cheetahs explored the entire enclosure within 12 hours of their arrival in the sanctuary”, Mr. Raikher said.
According to him, the two cats were doing well and appeared to be adapting to the new environment.
A senior forest officer in Kuno National Park told this newspaper that Pavak and Prabhas were chosen for relocation to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary since they are a coalition and considered the most formidable pairing.
“The two males will stand a better chance against any leopard, their predator, they might encounter in their new home.
Male cheetahs form coalitions who stick together for life, unlike female cheetahs who are solitary.
A coalition of cheetahs hunts and defends territory together.
“Two male, stronger bodied cats working in partnership is more formidable than single males or single females. That is the reason why Pavak and Prabhas were chosen as the first batch of cheetahs to be relocated to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary”, the forest officer said, unwilling to be quoted.
Sources said four more cheetahs from Kuno may be relocated to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in the near future.
Kuno National Park has now been left with 24 cheetahs after relocation of Pavak and Prabhas to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
