Cheetah trackers in Kuno refuse to kill goats over religious beliefs

MP's Kuno National Park, home to 26 Cheetahs, employed around 30 villagers of Sheopur as trackers to monitor the big cats

Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, home to the imported Cheetahs in India, is in the news again. But not for the big cats this time. Around 30 villagers in Sheopur, where the park is located, who were hired to monitor and track the Cheetahs, have gone on a strike, The Times of India reported on Tuesday.

The villagers reached out to the office of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, contending that slaughtering animals such as goats to feed the Cheetahs goes against their religious beliefs.

These villagers mainly belong to Yadav and Gurjar communities, who were hired for the job due to their understanding of the environment. The trackers are paid around Rs 9,000 monthly to work in shifts for the job.

Forest officials don’t expect impact on project

With the development, the officials said they don’t expect the issue to make a major impact on handling the cheetahs since most of them are in enclosures and can be managed by the existing staff.

In September 2022, eight African cheetahs from Namibia were relocated to the Kuno National Park, marking the presence of the big cats after 75 years of their extinction from the country. Months later in February, twelve cheetahs from South Africa were also translocated to Kuno. 

Since then, these cheetahs have given birth to several cubs, of which 13 remain alive.

How many cheetahs are present in Kuno National Park?

At present, 26 cheetahs are present in the Kuno National Park, including 13 adults brought from abroad. Of these, four have been released into the wild.

One of the cubs, belonging to female cheetah Gamini, died on June 6, marking the latest death among the big cats.

Besides Kuno, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary has also been prepared as a second home for the Cheetahs, according to the officials. Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in MP’s Mandsaur and is spread over 64 sq km.