Worldwide group of  wildlife consultants together with these from the union ministry of surroundings, forest and local weather change (MoEFC&C), authorities of Madhya Pradesh, Cheetah Conservation Fund  ,Namibia amongst others have  been spending sleepless nights ever since 4 cheetahs have been  launched within the open forest of Kuno. Two cheetahs and male and a feminine every named Oban and Asha respectively, have been launched on March 11 adopted by Elton and Freddie. No sooner did they step out from their enclosures, the cheetahs  vanished within the jungle. Inside  no time, their location throught their satellite tv for pc radio collars was traced within the  territorial forests  round Kuno. There have been no media stories because it was not confirmed by the officers tightlipped over the difficulty. However on Sunday, video proof broke the information.

“Oban Oban”, “Come Oban” , “Go Oban”

The video , shot by a villager confirmed Oban , a male cheetah, making an attempt  timidly to cover himself in  the standing wheat crop of a barbed -wired farmfield in Jhar Baroda  village of Vijapur tehesil of Sheopur district the place Kuno is positioned. In actual fact , after the cheetah escape, the  villagers have been  panicked by the cat’s presence and  lots of them pelted stones on the cheetah to  scare  him away from the  human settlement of the tribal village , about 20 kms away from Kuno’s boundary.  A rescue group , being educated for this hour, reached and  lots of its members  have been heard  calling  , “ Oban Oban ” , “ come Oban ” ,“Go Oban ” as they  persuaded    the animal to return to the jungle. Sources mentioned that the group additionally carried a cage to seize the cheetah. The villagers mentioned that they have been frightened over the taking place because the cheetah had reached very near their hutments.  

Additionally learn: Extra Questions  On Cheetah Venture in Kuno 

“ He may hurt our animals and kids”, they argued. Sources additionally claimed that the cheetah sustained minor accidents or bruises , could also be due to the barbed wire or the  stone pelting.  There wwere additionally  stories of the cheetah killing a a cattle nevertheless it couldn’t be confirmed. “The video confirmed  how susceptible the animal was and can proceed to be within the  small  jungle of Kuno with 749 sq. kms of  space to  roam round”, officers mentioned expressing concern.  Consultants have already claimed lack of  prey for this quickest animal on the 4 legs .In actual fact the  cheetahs have already touched the boundaries of the neighbouring Shivpuri  district, about 120 kms away from Sheopur. They have been transferring within the territorial forests of Shivpuri.

Not Attainable To Chase Cheetah Each Day

The cheetah escape might have been hogging headlines, it has not stunned  consultants. “ This can be a small jungle and  we have been  anticipating it to occur. We have been ready for the second ”, one of many officers mentioned. For the previous two days, the officers have been in search of  Oban  however its precise location couldn’t be ascertained. On Sunday, some villagers knowledgeable the park officers of the spot the place the cheetah was  hiding.  Oban discovered an open spot within the fencing and noticed a possibility to discover .It’s a wild animal’s pure behaviour to enterprise and discover its environment, they mentioned .  The animal was noticed a few occasions after it escaped and its location was roughly identified.A group of veterinarians   accompanied the officers as they   chased the cheetah .  

Additionally learn: Cheetahs in Kuno: Deep Divide Over the Venture

Round 6.30 pm , the cheetah was  chased away efficiently  and introduced again to the jungle.  Think about the cheetah chase by the group for  greater than 24 hours.  ” Can this train be repeated repeatedly “, they requested and replied   by themselves, ” No, it isn’t attainable to do that on daily basis.” There are three extra cheetahs already exterior the enclosures. They’ve already wandered exterior the park and returned. KNP is at present dwelling to 19 grownup African cheetahs introduced from Namibia and South Africa as a part of the Centre’s intention to introduce the species to India the place it was declared extinct in 1952. Twelve of the animals are from South Africa and seven from Namibia. An eighth cheetah from Namibia, a feminine named Sasha, died on March 27 on account of renal failure. Whereas one of many  feminine cheetahs , Sasha, died of renal failure whereas a three-year-old Siyaya, gave beginning to a litter of 4 cubs on March 29.

By Deshdeep Saxena 

Photos: Cheetah within the farm area, video grabs