What a third home for the cheetah in Madhya Pradesh means

The introduction of cheetahs at the Veerangana Durgawati Tiger Reserve is expected to boost breeding and give Bundelkhand a leg-up in tourism in the long runA third home for the cheetah in Madhya Pradesh and the country came into being on October 7 when chief minister Mohan Yadav released two wild cats, a male (Vyom) and female (Neera), at the Veerangana Durgawati Tiger Reserve.The cheetahs were shifted from the Kuno National Park, the launch site of Project Cheetah in 2022. Both animals are originally from Botswana and were brought to India in February. Madhya Pradesh currently has 56 cheetahs, including cubs born in India.The Veerangana Durgawati Tiger Reserve, comprising the Nauradehi and Rani Durgawati Wildlife Sanctuaries, is the largest tiger base in Madhya Pradesh. It is spread over 2,339 sq. km in the districts of Damoh, Narsinghpur and Sagar.Cheetahs are presently also housed at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, where a female cheetah was moved last month to join a population of three (two males and a female) in an effort to boost breeding. The sanctuary is spread over 370 sq km in the Mandsaur and Neemuch districts. The Nauradehi Sanctuary had been proposed as one of the original sites for translocation of African cheetahs to India. Both Nauradehi and Kuno were evaluated by the Wildlife Institute of India, with experts finalising Kuno for the launch of Project Cheetah.At Nauradehi, the cheetahs have been released into a specially prepared enclosure spanning 439 hectares. The enclosure has been stocked with adequate prey, including the spotted deer.Sources said that while the cheetahs would initially stay in the predator-proof enclosure, Nauradehi is the first habitat where cheetahs would ultimately be coexisting with resident tigers. The two other reserves, Kuno and Gandhi Sagar, have leopards but no resident tiger population.The Veerangana Durgawati Tiger Reserve also serves as a corridor between the Panna and Satpura Tiger Reserves and connects these two sites to the Bandhavgarh National Park.The introduction of cheetahs at Nauradehi is expected to support the conservation of grassland habitats. The reserve is located in Bundelkhand, which has weak socio-economic indices. In the long run, the presence of cheetahs is expected to help promote tourism in the region.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends