As India celebrates 75 years of Independence, world’s first inter-continental, large carnivore translocation project will take place here in the country, when Cheetahs will be back brought in to the Kuno National Park (KNP) in the 'Tiger State' Madhya Pradesh, under the Project Cheetah !! India's Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will release the wild Cheetahs in Kuno, on Saturday, 17 September 2022, which also happens to be his 72nd birthday !!
The specially-customised Boeing 747 cargo jumbo jet, with tiger-face print, has already arrived in Namibia to bring the first lot of 8 African sub-species Cheetahs to India's KNP in Madhya Pradesh; there will be 5 female and 3 male Cheetahs !! Special arrangements have been made inside the aircraft for the Cheetahs !! They will travel in cages/boxes and the plane will land at MP's Gwalior airport in the morning of 17 September 2022 !! The Cheetahs will then be flown in helicopters to MP's KNP !!
The re-introduction of wild Cheetahs is part of the government's efforts to revitalise and diversify India’s wildlife and its habitat !! Cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952 !! Cheetahs that will be translocated to M.P. are from Namibia, and have been brought under an MoU signed earlier this year !! Cheetahs will help in the restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystems in India !! This will help conserve biodiversity and enhance the ecosystem services like water security, carbon sequestration and soil moisture conservation !! Another lot of 10 Cheetahs is expected to come in India in October 2022 !! Eventually, around 500 Cheetahs are said to be brought in to India !!
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Update (2 April 2023):
On 18 February 2023, another lot of 12 Cheetahs were translocated from South Africa to Kuno's KNP in Madhya Pradesh !! This brought the total number of Cheetahs in India's wild to 20 !!
However, on 27 March 2023, a female Cheetah named Sasha, from Namibia, died at KNP due to a prolonged kidney illness, which wasn't known before arrival !! But, this gloomy news was soon overcome by the first-ever birth of Cheetah cubs on the Indian soil after a huge gap of almost 80 years (or eight decades) !! Yes, a Namibian Cheetah named Siyaya has given birth to four (4) Cheetah cubs on 29 March 2023 !! This is a moment of another great pride, given the huge milestone in the journey of success of the world’s first inter-continental, large carnivore translocation project !!
This brings the total number of Cheetahs in India's wild (right here in KNP) to 23, as on date !!
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MP's KNP has been chosen for this decades-long wish of India, to have Cheetahs roam freely once again in India, due to Kuno-Palpur being the closest in climatic and geographic conditions to Namibia's forests !! And to protect and monitor the conditions of these animals in KNP, they have been fitted with highly-advanced satellite-based radio collars !!
The last sighting of the Cheetahs in India was in 1947, when Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya, Madhya Pradesh, is believed to have shot the last three cheetahs in the country !! In 1952, the Indian government officially declared the cheetah extinct in the country !! Mughal rulers and British Raj officers are said to have killed thousands of Cheetahs in their hunting expeditions !! Cheetahs are said to have lived in India since a very long time - Neolithic Age (10,000–4,500 years BC), yeah !! In Gandhinagar and our nearby Bhopal, cave paintings dating back to the Neolithic Age, show the cheetah, proving that they roamed here abundantly !! The Cheetahs in India earlier were the Asiatic Cheetah sub-specie !! Experts say that Cheetah is the only large animal that we have lost in independent India !! No more !!
The word 'cheetah' originates from the Sanskrit word 'chitraka', meaning 'the spotted one' !!
The Kuno National Park is located in Northern Madhya Pradesh, in Sheopur district !! It is spread over an area of around 750 square km and is home to Four-horned Antelope, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Wild Boar and the Indian Leopard !! It is located around 450 km from Indore, 185 km from Gwalior, 385 km from Bhopal, and 300 km from Jaipur !! The closest airport is Gwalior and the nearest railway stations are Shivpuri (70 km) Gwalior (185 km), Sawai Madhopur, Kota, Jaipur and Jhansi !! There's a flight between Indore and Gwalior 3 times a week, and the Indore-New Delhi Intercity train (Nizamuddin) calls at the Shivpuri station, and runs with a daily frequency !!
Kuno is currently is a less popular destination, but will surely be one of the most important tourist centres with the re-introduction of Cheetahs, and will be a big draw for the wildlife lovers !! Therefore, right now, stay / accommodation options are limited at Kuno !!
Accommodation available with the Park management: there are 4 rest houses at KNP, which can be booked through the Park's office that can be reached over the phone numbers or e-mail ID mentioned above !!
However, the most luxurious and rocking accommodation at Kuno is the river-side
Jungle Resort Kuno by M.P. Tourism (MPT) !! You can book it through the MPT's website:
mptourism.com and have a look at the resort here on its fb page:
Jungle Resort Kuno !! It has got regular and deluxe rooms, and super-deluxe suites too, which face the infinity pool and the river !! The resort has got an outdoor lounge, restaurant, play zone, etc. !!
(images: Cheetah Conservation Fund, National Geographic, High Commission of India in Namibia via twitter, MP Tourism)
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