Prelims: Current events of National and International Importance | Environment
Why is in news?
An India-born cheetah has given birth to four cubs in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP).
Update
- The latest litter has taken the total population to 56.
- The births mean animals born after the return of cheetahs to India are now themselves producing offspring.
- Of the total 56 cheetahs in the country, 36 are now India-born while 20 are from African nations.
- At present, 53 cheetahs reside in Kuno National Park, while three adults are in the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
- Earlier in February, nine cheetahs were translocated from Botswana, making it the third intercontinental transfer of big cats to India from an African nation since the reintroduction programme began.
- This followed transfers from Namibia and South Africa in September 2022 and February 2023, respectively.
- A third home for the cheetahs is being developed at the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, which is part of the Rani Durgawati Tiger Reserve spanning Sagar, Damoh and Narsinghpur districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Botswana Cheetah in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary
- Madhya Pradesh’s Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, a second home in the works for cheetahs in India, has a new female cheetah inhabitant.
- The sanctuary, located some 300 km from Kuno National Park, the ground zero of Project Cheetah, already houses two male cheetahs.
Reference
The Hindu | India’s cheetah population in 56
