Cheetah rescued after straying into Rajasthan from MP's Kuno National Park

Bhopal: A cheetah from Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district strayed into neighbouring Rajasthan and was rescued on Saturday under "challenging conditions" involving a ravine and a huge crowd of onlookers, a forest department official said.

Male cheetah Pawan was rescued from Karoli district in the western state under challenging conditions, said a release issued from the office of Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) and Director Lion Project.

"The animal had to be handled physically in order to prevent it from tumbling over the ravine amid an enormous crowd of onlookers and the animal cornered at the crest of the ravine after darting. After successful rescue, the animal is being shifted to KNP and will be released in the wild," the release said.

"Pawan was free ranging in KNP and crossed the inter-state boundary moving amid the human dominated landscape early Saturday morning. Considering the safety of the animal and of the people, a decision was taken to rescue Pawan," it added.

It said police and forest personnel from Rajasthan provided support to the operation.

Under the ambitious cheetah reintroduction project, eight Namibian cheetahs, comprising five females and three males, were released into enclosures at KNP on September 17 in 2022. In February 2023, another 12 cheetahs were brought to the park from South Africa.

There are 27 cheetahs in KNP at present, including 14 cubs that were born on Indian soil.