A day after cheetah Veera gave birth to two cubs, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav released five cheetahs into the wild at Kuno National Park in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, APCCF and Director of Lion Project, Shivpuri, told to ‘The Hitavada’ over phone. The initiative, launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been carried forward by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav through facilitating the maintaining conducive atmosphere for reintroduction and conservation of cheetahs. Officials and leaders are actively involved in the developments at Kuno National Park. Aims to restore the cheetah population in India after their extinction in 1952, such efforts are yielding positive outcome.

 

Chief Minister’s visit to Kuno National Park on Wednesday coincided with the happy news of birth of two new cubs. Kuno has been blessed with two precious new lives from the mother cheetah Veera, taking the number of Indian born cubs to 14. CM Yadav expressed immense pride and joy on the news and extended his heartfelt congratulation to everyone. During the Chief Minister’s visit, he released 5 cheetahs (female cheetah Dheera along with Aasha and her 3 male cubs) in the wild of Kuno. After the release of these 5 cheetahs, total 7 cheetahs are there in the wild now. Sharing information about CM’s first visit to Kuno National Park, field official said that it has provided a significant morale boost to the staff working tirelessly on the cheetah reintroduction project. During his visit, CM Yadav interacted with forest officials, veterinarians, and ground staff, acknowledging their efforts in ensuring the successful adaptation of cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa.

 

He praised their dedication and assured them of enhanced support, including better infrastructure, equipment, and resources to strengthen conservation initiatives. The Chief Minister emphasised the importance of the role of frontline staff 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.

 

The State Government aims to make Kuno National Park a model wildlife reserve for future reintroduction programs. Although, the death of only free range Cheetah named Pawan last year had given an alarm call and emphasised need to be more vigilant. Despite, his location was being traced regularly untoward incident had occurred. Pawan was found lying near the edge of a swollen stream in the morning hours. The preliminary cause of death was seen as drowning. Hope, this time we will take lesson from past and things will go in positive direction.