Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Two cheetahs were released into the wild from their enclosure at Kuno National Park of Sheopur on Saturday. One cheetah was released into the wild during morning hours and the second one was released during evening hours.
When contacted, CCF Gwalior Uttam Kumar Sharma told Free Press that two cheetahs were released into the wild and they are being monitored by a team round-the-clock. The cheetahs are having radio collar in their neck and with its help their movement is being tracked. The name of the cheetahs is Oban and Asha.
Notably, eight Namibian cheetahs have completed their quarantine as well as acclimatisation period and they were supposed to be released into the wild. Of them, two have been released. The remaining cheetahs are waiting to get released into the wild.
It’s being surmised that the remaining cheetahs would be released into the wild very shortly. It was in the last meeting of Cheetah Task Force that the decision was taken to release Namibian Cheetahs into the wild.
A team has been separately formed to keep a close watch on the two cheetahs released into the wild. They would track their movement and note down their behaviour as well. The tracking of their movements will help Kuno officials understand how they are behaving in the wild and whether they are aptly fit to survive in the wild. Notably, on their arrival from Namibia in September last year, eight Namibian cheetahs were released into the quarantine enclosure by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and others.
Meanwhile, 12 South African Cheetahs are in their quarantine enclosure. They were brought to Kuno from South Africa on February 18.
