One year on, Kuno cheetahs to be set free into the wild

BHOPAL: Namibian and South African cheetahs housed in big enclosures at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park since last year’s monsoon following the death of three cheetahs, are set to be released into the wild again after the present rainy season is over. The release will be in phases.

Out of the 25 cheetahs, including 12 adults (one male adult is already in the wild) and the 12 cubs currently housed in enclosures, the adults will first be released into the wild, possibly in October, as the monsoon mostly withdraws from large areas of MP by then. At present, a Namibian male Pawan aka Oban is in the wild.

“The cheetahs will be released in the wild in phases and the male coalitions could be the first ones to be released in the forest after the monsoon is over,” Rajesh Gopal, who heads the Cheetah Project Steering Committee told this newspaper over phone on Saturday.

The two male coalitions currently in the enclosures are Prabhas and Pavak and Agni and Vayu. They are likely to be the first ones to be released in the free ranging forests.