Two cheetahs — Oban and Asha — had been released into the wild at the Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP) on Saturday, nearly six months after they had been introduced from Namibia, an official mentioned.
IMAGE: One out of the 2 cheetahs being released into the wild at the Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. Photograph: ANI
They had been stored in ‘looking enclosures’ at KNP till now.
“Oban and Asha had been among the many eight cheetahs delivered to KNP in September final yr. They had been released into the wild on Saturday,” principal chief conservator of forests J S Chauhan instructed PTI.
Oban was released first and Asha a couple of hours later within the afternoon.
“Remaining cheetahs from this batch of eight will likely be released within the wild in a staggered method,” he mentioned, with out disclosing any timeline.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released eight cheetahs introduced from Namibia, 5 females and three males, on September 17, 2022, as a part of an effort to revive the species’ inhabitants in India.
Cheetahs turned extinct in India some 70 years in the past.
The cheetahs introduced in September had been first moved to acclimatization enclosures from quarantine ‘bomas’ in November. They had been later released into looking enclosures, officers mentioned.
Two of them are actually roaming within the wild.
Another 12 cheetahs – seven males and 5 females — had been delivered to KNP from South Africa on February 18 this yr. Thus, a complete of 20 cheetahs have reached KNP.
