Bhopal: A five-day Kuno Forest festival in the village of Ranipura on the outskirts of Sheopur district, commenced on Sunday. Nestled in the serene atmosphere of the jungle away from the city's hustle and bustle, a forest retreat (tent city) has been developed to attract wildlife enthusiasts and tourists. CM Dr Mohan Yadav was scheduled to inaugurate the festival today but had to cancel his visit due to state mourning following the demise of Kuwait's former Emir.
Principal Secretary of the MP Tourism Board, Shiv Shekhar Shukla, said specially designed 50 Swiss tents equipped with modern luxuries have been erected in Ranipura for the festival.
The event aims to highlight the diverse flora and fauna, and the jungle of Kuno, while also advocating for cheetah conservation. It will include local art, craft, folk music, dance forms, and adventure sport.
The main attraction of the forest festival will be adventure games, jungle safari, hot air ballooning, parasailing, paragliding, cave excursion, folk music, village tour, etc.
Madhya Pradesh offers a diverse culture and rich wildlife, which also includes cheetah sightings during jungle safari in Kuno. Tourists can also experience the taste of local food/cuisines. A rich cultural heritage of the state will be showcased in association with local artists, added Shukla.
Additionally, Kuno-Palpur in Sheopur district, which is the maiden home for the cheetah in India, promises to excite wildlife enthusiasts with some wonderful landscaping, flora-fauna, aquatic wildlife of Chambal/Parwati river.
A proposal to expand Kuno's safari area by 600 sq km to accomodate the cheetah project is pending clearance with the state government, said DFO Thirukural R.
Kuno was the maiden home for cheetahs in India after the government decided to re-introduce the world's fastest animal in the country, which were declared extinct from India in 1952. Kuno's prey base was one of the factors that helped tilt the balance in its favour.
Among the 20 cheetahs that were translocated amidst much fanfare, only 15 (14 adults, 1 cub) have survived. Unfortunately, six have died due to disease/infection and one female was re-located in a compromised condition from Namibia of kidney infection, said forest officials. Of the 20 cheetahs, eight were relocated from Namibia on September 17, 2022, and 12 were brought in from South Africa on February 18, 2023.
The Kuno National Park was chosen as the optimum location to introduce the extinct animal due to its good prey base for cheetahs. The park has a good population of chinkara, spotted deer, and blackbuck, on which the cheetahs can prey and grow in the wild. Here, facilities for the big cats have been developed, staff have been trained, and larger predators, such as leopards, have been moved out.
The five-day event will end on December 21.
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