After death of nine cheetahs, the administration has shifted male cheetahs Vayu and Agni to a soft release boma (enclosure) at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradeshs Sheopur district, officials said.On Sunday, the ambitious cheetah reintroduction project celebrated the completion of its first year. As part of this transition, the male cheetahs Gaurav and Shourya were moved from the quarantine enclosure to the soft release boma.According to an official statement, “Vayu and Agni were released in soft release boma on Monday following protocols after completion of their health checkup. Both cheetahs are healthy. Both were in the quarantine boma since June 27. The process of release was completed successfully by the team of veterinary officers in the presence of senior officers.”Project Cheetah in India completes one year with highs and lowsThe ambitious project by India on September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first group of eight Namibian cheetahs into Madhya Pradeshs Kuno National Park (KNP), marking the completion of a full year since then.Then, in February 2023, twelve cheetahs from South Africa were relocated and released in Kuno National Park.Dr S P Yadav,ADG (PT&PE) & MS, NTCA, delivered a welcome address and briefed about how learnings from best practices adopted for Indias successful Tiger conservation have been imbibed for implementing the Project Cheetah.#ProjectCheetah #WildlifeProtection#OneYearWithCheetahs pic.twitter.com/NhJ2uEQzJU— MoEF&CC (@moefcc) September 17, 2023These cheetahs are a significant achievement for India in terms of preserving natural wonders. According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the entire operation was carried out under the painstaking supervision of an expert team made up of government representatives, scientists, wildlife biologists, and veterinarians from Namibia, South Africa, and India.Facing the low at the survival front, nine cheetahs, including three cubs, have died since March, while 14 cheetahs and one cub are in healthy condition. Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952.
