Kuno cheetah KP-2, which had been staying in the Ranthambore National Park area of Sawai Madhopur for more than three weeks, was tranquilised on Friday morning and safely escorted back to its home in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
A joint team of experts and wildlife officials from Kuno and Ranthambore located KP-2 near Kala Kuava in the Phalodi Range of the national park on Friday morning. The team successfully darted and tranquilised the animal.
After completing the required documentation and conducting a medical examination of the big cat, officials from Kuno Sanctuary took back this frequent visitor to the forests and rural areas of Rajasthan’s Kota, Baran, Jhalawar, and Sawai Madhopur districts.
Among the cheetahs, KP-2 and KP-3 have more or less developed a habit of venturing out on long-distance prowling expeditions. These fastest land animals have, on several occasions over the past many months, travelled up to Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, and even Sawai Madhopur.
This was the first time that KP-2 entered the core area of the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and continued moving within it for nearly 22–25 days, roaming through territories occupied by several formidable tigers. During this period, the cheetah hunted smaller prey and also preyed upon cattle a couple of times in villages located in the park’s buffer zone.
In fact, the cheetah’s more than three-week sojourn in this famous reserve forest — home to tigers, leopards, and other predators — created a vulnerable situation for the animal. This concern kept forest officials constantly on alert, closely monitoring its location and movements.
Ranthambore National Park houses around 65–70 tigers along with several leopards, and officials expressed satisfaction that KP-2 did not have any direct encounter with them. The cheetah’s safe return to Kuno on Friday brought a sense of relief to the national park authorities.