Reintroduction of Cheetahs in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary

• 12 Jun 2024

Why in News?

The Madhya Pradesh government has completed preparations at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary to become a new habitat for cheetahs.

Key Points

• Teams from Kenya and South Africa had earlier visited Gandhi Sagar to assess the conditions for reintroduction of cheetahs.
  • Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister chaired a meeting of the state wildlife board, during which it was informed that preparations have been completed.
• Prey animals were relocated from Kanha, Satpura and Sanjay tiger reserves to Gandhi Sagar.
• Under the ambitious cheetah reintroduction project, eight Namibian cheetahs, five females and three males, were released into enclosures at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on 17^th September, 2022.
  • In February 2023, 12 more cheetahs were brought from South Africa.
• During the meeting, the chief minister directed officials to conduct a study on the possibilities of bringing rhinos and other rare and endangered wild animals to the forests of Madhya Pradesh.
• Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur district is around 270 km from Kuno National Park in Sheopur.
  • The second home for cheetahs is spread over 64 sq km.

Kanha Tiger Reserve

• It stretches over an area of 940 square km in the two districts - Mandla and Balaghat - of Madhya Pradesh.
• The present-day Kanha area was divided into two sanctuaries, Hallon and Banjar. Kanha National Park was created in 1955 and in 1973 was made the Kanha Tiger Reserve.
  • Kanha National Park is the largest National Park in Central India.

Satpura Tiger Reserve

• Satpura Tiger Reserve, is in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh. Famous as a tiger conservation center, this area is also rich in wildlife and plant diversity.
• Apart from the tiger, various wildlife including leopard, Indian bison, Indian giant squirrel, sambar, chital, deer, nilgai, langur, bear, wild boar are found here.
• It has more than 300 caves of historical and archaeological importance.

Sanjay Tiger Reserves

• Sanjay-Dubri National Park and Tiger Reserve was established in 1975 to conserve the biodiversity rich forest area of the district. Comprising an Evergreen Sal forest.
• The major species found are tiger, Sloth bear, Chital, Nilgai, Chinkara, Sambar (limited to hilly terrain and in very small number), leopard, Dhole (wild dog), Jungle Cat, Hyena, Porcupine, Jackal, Fox, Indian Wolf, Indian Python Four-horned Antelope and Barking deer.