The three cubs, aged around 1.3 years, along with their mother, Namibian cheetah Aasha, and female cheetah Dheera, were released into the wild in the NP by chief minister Mohan Yadav
Bhopal: For the first time since the African cheetahs were introduced in the Kuno National Park (NP) of Madhya Pradesh around two and half years ago, three cubs were on Wednesday released into the wild in the NP to cope with the new and challenging wildlife experience.
The three cubs, aged around 1.3 years, along with their mother, Namibian cheetah Aasha, and female cheetah Dheera, were released into the wild in the NP by chief minister Mohan Yadav.
“This was the first time three cheetah cubs were released into the wild in Kuno NP. It will be very interesting to see how they are coping with their maiden wildlife , which is very challenging”, a senior forest officer of the NP told this newspaper, unwilling to be quoted.
Experts say this will be the first experiment on the Indian soil to see how the mother cheetah and her cubs cope with the wildlife together and how the mother shares her hunting and survival tips with her cubs during the period in the face of threats from the predators such as wolves.
“If they encounter an Indian wolf, sloth bear or leopard, this would be the first recorded incident since these cheetahs are introduced in Indian soil after 75 years”, the forest officer said.
The mom will teach her cubs how to hide, scan the landscape for predators and how to hunt. They will explore together while she teaches them life skills.
“Cheetah instinct would be to flee, run and hide, but not fight”, the forest officer said.
With the release of five cheetahs including three cubs, a total of seven cheetahs are now in the free range in Kuno NP.
In December last year, two male cheetahs, Agni and Vayu, were released into the wild in the NP.
The remaining 19 cheetahs including 11 cubs would be released into the wild in the NP in phases.
The chief minister reviewed the cheetah introduction initiative on the occasion.
“The chief minister emphasized the importance of the role of frontline staff of Kuno NP in monitoring, patrolling, and maintaining the ecological balance within the park. He also encouraged eco-tourism initiatives, which would not only help in conservation but also generate employment opportunities for local communities”, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) and director, Lion Project, Uttam Kumar Sharma who is also field director of Kuno NP, told this newspaper.
Eight cheetahs from Namibia were brought to Kuno NP in September 2022 and six months later, 12 more cheetahs were brought to the NP from South Africa.
After the death of some cheetahs and the birth of cubs, there are now 26 cheetahs including 14 cubs.
