Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh) [India], April 6 : Namibian Cheetahs Asha and Oban, which were rehabilitated at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, were spotted roaming around the borders of the park after they were released in the wild.
Both the Cheetahs are covering a distance of around 25 to 30 kilometres daily. The female Cheetah Asha is roaming within the limits of the Kuno National Park while Oban is roaming out of the park. The team of the forest department is continuously monitoring their movements.
Kuno Wildlife Circle, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Prakash Kumar Verma told over phone, "Asha is roaming within the Kuno National Park itself. Oban is definitely out of Kuno Park. Now he is towards the forest of Shivpuri. Oban had also hunted a black buck on Wednesday. Our team is keeping a watch on the cheetahs for 24 hours."
According to reports, Oban crossed the Kuno National Park on Sunday. He has been visiting different forest areas which are adjacent to Kuno.
Even on Thursday, the location of Oban was traced outside the boundary of Kuno National Park. Oban is wandering in the forest bordering Shivpuri district. Based on the location of Oban, the cheetah monitoring team is moving around him and keeping their close eye on him.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia at Kuno National Park on the occasion of his birthday on September 17, last year.
The cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952 but 8 cheetahs (5 females and 3 males) were brought from Africa's Namibia as part of 'Project Cheetah' and the government's efforts to revitalise and diversify the country's wildlife and habitat.
Later on, 12 more Cheetahs were brought from South Africa and rehabilitated to Kuno National Park on February 18 this year.
Under the ambitious Project Cheetah of the Indian government, the reintroduction of wild species particularly cheetahs was undertaken according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines.
India has a long history of wildlife conservation. One of the most successful wildlife conservation ventures 'Project Tiger', which was initiated way back in 1972, has not only contributed to the conservation of tigers but also to the entire ecosystem.
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