The cheetahs, ‘Prabhas’ and ‘Pavak’, both around six years old, had been residing at KNP for the past two years. They were relocated to GSWS today as part of the expansion of the state’s ambitious ‘Cheetah Project.’
Photo courtesy: Instagram/paulsgoldstein
Claiming that Madhya Pradesh currently has the highest growth rate of cheetahs in the world, Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav released two cheetahs from the Kuno National Park (KNP) into the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS) on Sunday evening.
The cheetahs, ‘Prabhas’ and ‘Pavak’, both around six years old, had been residing at KNP for the past two years. They were relocated to GSWS today as part of the expansion of the state’s ambitious ‘Cheetah Project.’
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Initially, Prabhas and Pavak were relocated as adults from South Africa’s Waterberg Biosphere Reserve to Kuno National Park in February 2023.
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The two cheetahs were released into a 16-square-kilometer enclosure within the Game Range West Sanctuary, Khimla, of the GSWS.
The KNP is situated in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh, while GSWS is located about 250 km away in the state’s Ujjain Division. GSWS spans across 368.6 square kilometers on the western edge of MP, bordering Rajasthan.
The sanctuary stretches along both banks of the Chambal River across Mandsaur (187.1 sq km) and Neemuch (181.5 sq km) districts in the Ujjain Division.
The Chief Minister expressed joy at the shifting of the two cheetahs to their new home, stating that the release marks a significant step in India’s initiative to increase the cheetah population and preserve the species.
He emphasized that although cheetah reintroduction has been attempted in other countries, it has not seen the same success as in India.
Dr Yadav pointed out that the survival rate of cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh is higher than anywhere else, as the state’s forests and climate are conducive to the species.
“The growth rate of cheetah cubs in Madhya Pradesh is the highest in the world,” Dr Mohan Yadav claimed.
“We have witnessed a growth rate of more than 80 percent in the cheetah population here, which is a matter of global research interest,” he added.
“The cheetahs had become extinct across the entire Asian continent, but now Madhya Pradesh — already the ‘Tiger State’ of India — has also become the ‘Cheetah State’,” the Chief Minister said with pride.
Dr Yadav informed that GSWS spans the Mandsaur and Neemuch districts in the Ujjain Division.
He noted that cheetahs might have roamed this region hundreds of years ago, and their return after decades of extinction is auspicious for wildlife tourism.
He also highlighted that the GSWS includes the ‘Chaturbhuj Nala’, renowned for its prehistoric rock paintings.
The Chief Minister further informed that eight more cheetahs are being brought to Madhya Pradesh from Botswana in two phases.
In the first phase, four cheetahs are likely to arrive in May. Similarly, plans are underway to bring more cheetahs from South Africa and Kenya in the future.
The total number of cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh is currently 26. With today’s relocation of the two cheetahs from KNP to GSWS, the number of cheetahs at KNP now stands at 24.
The 24 cheetahs at KNP include 10 adult foreign cheetahs — six from South Africa and four from Namibia — and 14 cubs born on Indian soil.
The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. The country’s last cheetah was shot dead in 1947 in the Koriya district (now called Korea district) of present-day Chhattisgarh, which was then part of Madhya Pradesh.
To revive the cheetah population in India under the ambitious Cheetah Reintroduction Project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his 72nd birthday on 17 September 2022, released eight Namibian cheetahs — five females and three males — into special enclosures at KNP.
On 18 February 2023, another set of 12 cheetahs were brought to KNP from South Africa. However, 13 cheetahs have died since 2023, including eight adult cheetahs brought from Africa and five cubs born in India.
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