One more cheetah released into wild in MP’s Kuno NP

Sheopur: One more cheetah has been released into the wild at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, taking the count to seven, an official said on Monday.

Neerva, a female cheetah from South Africa aged 3-4 years, was released into the wild from a larger enclosure at the KNP on Sunday evening, the national park’s Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Prakash Kumar Verma said.

So far, seven cheetahs have been released into the free-range so far, while 10 are still housed in larger enclosures, he said.

The decision about the release of remaining cheetahs into the wild will be taken by the steering committee constituted by the Centre. The committee members are scheduled to visit the KNP on Tuesday, the official said.

Eight Namibian cheetahs, comprising five females and three males, were brought to the KNP and released into special enclosures by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17 last year as part of an ambitious reintroduction programme of the species.