Kenyan delegation visits MP to review preparations for cheetah reintroduction

The six-member team visited the sanctuary, spread across Mandsaur and Neemuch districts, on May 21 and 22, an official said.

Mandsaur: A delegation from Kenya has visited the Gandhisagar sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh to take stock of preparations for cheetah reintroduction in the area, an official said on Thursday.

The six-member team visited the sanctuary, spread across Mandsaur and Neemuch districts, on May 21 and 22, he said.

After reintroducing cheetahs -- the animal was declared extinct from India in 1952 -- at Kuno National Park (KNP) in the state's Sheopur district two years ago, the government is planning to bring the big cats to Gandhisagar.

On the first day, the Kenyan team watched a presentation on preparations for the translocation of cheetahs and successful reintroduction at KNP, the forest official said.

On the second day it visited enclosures made over 6,400 hectare including quarantine arrangements for the initial period of 30 days. It also inspected high-mast cameras for the monitoring of cheetahs and water sources for them, the official said.

The visitors were apprised of the equipment and technology which the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) experts would use for monitoring the animals.

Eight Namibian cheetahs were released into enclosures at KNP on September 17, 2022. In February 2023, another 12 cheetahs were brought to the park from South Africa. There are at present 27 cheetahs in KNP, including 14 cubs that were born on Indian soil.