Page 2 - National Park

Namibian cheetah Shaurya dies at MP's Kuno National Park; 10 deaths so far

The death of the big cat was reported at 3.17 pm on Tuesday, officials said

KNP authorities plan visitor engagement activities to raise awareness

The Kaziranga National Park (KNP) authorities to sensitise visitors towards conservation activities and popularise the Kohora Centenary Museum have decided to host an enriching and immersive programme titled 'Kajir Ronghangpi Tales' on each Saturday during the tourist season. KNP Director Sonali Ghosh told PTI that visitors to the park will get an opportunity to meet the persons behind the conservation efforts of the heritage park and delve into the cultural and rich heritage of the region. The event will showcase the park's treasure trove of natural beauty and biodiversity through live talks and screening of insightful documentaries at the museum, she said. The 'Kajir Ronghangpi Tales' programme is an initiative to honour the cultural legacy and narratives that enrich the fabric of Kaziranga and its surrounding regions, the KNP director said. It aims to create a platform for cultural exchange and appreciation, inviting visitors to embark on a journey of discovery and connection wi

1 more cheetah dies at Kuno National Park, death toll climbs to 9 since Mar

One more cheetah has died at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, making it the sixth adult feline to have died since March, according to a statement from the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department on Wednesday. "This morning, one of the female cheetahs - Dhatri (Tiblisi) -- was found dead. To determine the cause of the death, a post-mortem is being conducted," the statement read. While 14 cheetahs -- seven males, six females and one female cub -- are kept in the bomas in Kuno, a female cheetah is out in the open and is being intensively monitored by a team. Efforts are on to bring her back to the boma for a health examination, the statement said.

In wake of Cheetah deaths experts demand increased role of experienced vets

In the wake of the death of seven cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park since March this year, wildlife experts have questioned the way the African felines have been handled and suggested more experienced veterinarians be involved in taking care of these animals. In the latest incident, male cheetah Tejas died in the KNP on Tuesday. The autopsy report revealed the cheetah was "internally weak" and unable to recover from a "traumatic shock" after a violent fight with a female cheetah, according to a forest official. The death of Tejas, brought to KNP in Sheopur district from South Africa in February this year, is yet another blow to the central government's cheetah reintroduction programme launched with much fanfare in September last year. With this, seven felines, including three cubs born to Namibian cheetah 'Jwala', have died at the KNP since March. Talking to PTI, Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India's (WII) former dean and senior profession Y V Jhala said, "Thou

7 more cheetahs to be released in Kuno National Park by June third week

Seven more cheetahs, including two females, will be released into the wild in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park by the third week of June, the chairman of the high-level committee set up to monitor the progress of the much vaunted Cheetah reintroduction project said on Thursday. Under the ambitious programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first batch of eight spotted felines from Namibia into a quarantine enclosure at Kuno in Madhya Pradesh on September 17 last year. In a second such translocation, 12 cheetahs were flown in from South Africa and released into Kuno on February 18. Three cheetahs died in March and April. Of the 17 remaining adult cheetahs, seven have already been released into the wild. "The project is on track and there's no cause for worry. We have decided to release seven more cheetahs, including two females, by the third week of June," Rajesh Gopal, the panel's chairman and the secretary general of the Global Tiger Forum, told PTI. "Of the 10 cheet

Two more cheetah cubs die inside Kuno National Park, another rescued

The fatalities take the total number of deaths to six in the past two months. The cubs were found dead in a gasping condition on Tuesday morning

SC modifies 2022 order, removes ban on development activities around ESZs

The apex court's decision was announced after a three-judge bench, headed by Justice BR Gavai, revised their previous ruling

Big cats vs development

Conservation policies need to adjust for this conflict

Cheetahs exploring habitat, Project Tiger head on straying incident in MP

Cheetahs released into the wild are exploring their habitat and it's a very good sign, a senior environment ministry official has said after a spotted feline strayed out of Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park recently. State forest officials on Friday said that Oban, one of the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia in September last year, had strayed out of the Kuno National Park on April 2. It was rescued from a forest area in a neighbouring Shivpuri district on Thursday evening and released into the national park again, they said. Additional Director General of Forests S P Yadav told PTI that such movement of cheetahs is a natural phenomenon and there is nothing to worry about. "Four cheetahs have been released completely. They are free ranging in the wild. Their movement is natural. We are happy that cheetahs are moving and exploring the areas and based on the exploration they identify their suitable habitat," Yadav, who is also the head of Project Tiger, said in an interview with

Resorts within one-km of Rajaji National Park not necessarily legal: NGT

The National Green Tribunal has said that it was wrongly assumed in a report that resorts within one-km radius of the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand were legal and formed a panel of "higher-level officials" to take remedial action. The NGT was hearing the matter regarding the illegal functioning of hotels, resorts, pubs, clubs and ashrams and other commercial activities in the Chilla Range of Rajaji National Park. A bench of Chairperson Justice A K Goel noted that in October last year, the tribunal had directed remedial action against violations by 19 resorts along with recovery of compensation for restoration of the environment, following which reports were filed by the Director of Rajaji National Park and the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board (UKPCB) earlier this month. The bench also comprising judicial members Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Afroz Ahmad noted that according to the report, action was taken against illegally operating .

Cheetahs unlikely to pose threat to people near Kuno National Park: Study

As Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh waits to welcome 12 more cheetahs on Saturday, which will take the count of the big cats at the protected forest to 20, a study says the carnivores are highly unlikely to pose a threat to the people living in the vicinity. The cheetahs, including five females, are being brought from South Africa, five months after the first batch of eight spotted felines from Namibia were released into a quarantine enclosure at KNP under India's ambitious Cheetah reintroduction programme. There exist no records of wild-born metapopulation attacking humans... All (12) founder cheetahs sourced for reintroduction (in India) are wild born. The prospect of any of these cheetahs attacking humans can be considered highly unlikely, says the risk management plan of the project authored by South African cheetah metapopulation manager Vincent van der Merwe. The findings could assuage concerns over potential man-animal conflicts among locals. The buffer zone of KNP, wher

4 indigenous species in India that need conservation efforts in 2023

India has only about 300-900 Gharials, fewer than 1,000 Lesser Floricans, fewer than 250 Great Indian Bustards and only 674 Asiatic Lions

MoU delay holds up translocation of 12 cheetahs from South Africa to India

A dozen cheetahs quarantined in South Africa for more than four months have lost fitness in their wait to be flown to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) as a formal signing of an agreement is holding up their inter-continental translocation, wildlife experts have said. They said prolonged quarantine is taking a toll on the health of these big cats, who are slated to join the eight cheetahs imported from Namibia and released in KNP in Sheopur district in mid-September. In fact, the 12 South African cheetahs seven males and five females - have not hunted for themselves even once after being kept in bomas (small enclosures), said wildlife experts in know of India's cheetah reintroduction plan. Though there has been some forward movement in implementation of Project Cheetah with South Africa in recent days, Pretoria is yet to ink a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian government for transfer of the spotted cats to KNP. Three of them have been kept in Phinda quarant

SC allows Mumbai Metro to pursue application to cut 84 trees in Aarey

Case pertains to construction of Metro car shed on forest land in Aarey which adjoins Sanjay Gandhi National Park; next hearing likely in Feb 2023

Quarantine clearance received for 8 cheetahs in Kuno National Park

After getting clearance from the concerned ministry, two male cheetahs were released in a acclimatisation enclosure of Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on Saturday

2 of 8 cheetahs released in acclimatisation enclosure at Kuno National Park

Two of the eight cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) were on Saturday released into an acclimatisation enclosure from the quarantine area where they were kept since translocated from Namibia in mid-September, an official said. "Two cheetahs were released in the larger enclosure from the quarantine zones on Saturday. The remaining six cheetahs will also be released in the (acclimatisation enclosure) in a phased manner," KNP Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Prakash Kumar Verma confirmed to PTI. The larger enclosure is an area of more than five square km, officials had earlier said. Eventually, the eight cheetahs will be released into the wild as per plans. The eight cheetahs - five females and three males in the 30-66 month age group- were released in the dedicated quarantine zones at KNP on September 17 at a function by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, heralding the return of the big cats to India 70 years after they were declared extinct in the country. According to

Cheetahs to move to bigger enclosure in Kuno park in Nov: Task force member

The eight cheetahs flown to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) from Namibia in mid-September will be moved to an acclimatization enclosure in November before being released in the wild, a member of the Centre's task force on the big cats said on Monday. The task force formed to monitor the cheetahs in KNP in Sheopur district and take a call on their shifting from quarantine zones to a larger enclosure spread over an area of more than five square km held a meeting on Monday. At the meeting, it was decided that the spotted cats from the African country will be shifted to the acclimatization 'boma' (enclosure) in November, the task force member told PTI on condition of anonymity. He said the cheetahs will be released in a phased manner in the acclimatization enclosure and added the task force took the decision after lengthy discussions. He said two members of the Centre-appointed body could not attend the meeting due to unavoidable reasons. Earlier meetings had remained ...

Six-month wait for public to see the wild cats: Project Cheetah Head

In a Q&A, S P Yadav says there have been concerns about the reintroduction project in terms of the ecological adaptation of the felines and co-habitation with other species

Rearing cheetahs: Kuno project requires careful handling

Dedicated follow-up is needed to ensure the Kuno ecosystem finds a new balance where these beauties can thrive

PM Modi to visit MP's Kuno National Park on his birthday on Sept 17

PM Narendra Modi will visit Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park on September 17, his birthday, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said