Five cheetahs — three females and two males — will be released from the acclimatisation camps into Kuno National Park's free-ranging conditions before the monsoon as part of "Project Cheetah" led by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

After a team of experts reviewed the current status of the project, the decision was taken to release the five cheetahs into free-roaming conditions in KNP.

The Environment Ministry on Monday assured that the cheetahs being released are in good health and displaying natural behaviours.

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The ministry stated that the cheetahs will be allowed to move out of KNP and won't be recaptured unless they venture into areas where they are in "significant danger."

The decision to release the cheetahs was based on their behavioural characteristics and approachability by the monitoring teams.

Four out of the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia have already been released from the fenced acclimatisation camps into free-ranging conditions in KNP.

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The statement released by the ministry also mentioned that two male cheetahs, Gaurav and Shaurya, have stayed within the park and have not shown any interest in exploring the landscape beyond the borders of the park.

This news comes after Uday, a 6-year-old cheetah brought from South Africa, died at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park in April. Uday was the second cheetah to die in the national park within a month.

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An autopsy report later showed that the cheetah had died due to cardiopulmonary failure. Following Uday's death, Madhya Pradesh state forest officials were seeking the relocation of the cheetahs citing logistical constraints.

With agency inputs.

First Published:May 8, 2023 4:42 PM IST