With the Madhya Pradesh government looking to release into the wild eight cheetahs it received from Namibia last year, state authorities have stepped up efforts to rid the Kuno National Park of death traps potentially planted by poachers, said officials aware of the matter.
The move comes weeks after poachers allegedly killed a leopard in the forest, which, according to officials, is not as well protected as tiger reserves.
According to officials from the state forest department, 25 former army personnel are combing the 1,250-square kilometre national park, hunting for live electric wires or iron traps.
Kuno received eight cheetahs from Namibia on September 17, all of which were released into an enclosure by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. All eight will be released into the wild later this month as part of a national project to repopulate the forest with cheetahs, 60 years after the world’s fastest land animal went extinct from the wild in India, said Uttam Kumar Sharma, field director of the Kuno National Park.
Authorities also hope the search operations will help them identify safe spaces for the cheetahs.
“We don’t know which area is sensitive or safe for cheetahs,” said a forest official who asked not to be named.
Officials said that a forest range is scrutinised in-person every day.
“Once those checks are complete, that area is kept under surveillance using 10 drones,” added the official.
Once the radio-collared cheetahs are released, said officials, their movement will be monitored in a special control room around the clock.
“We will also deploy forest guards and former army personnel to ensure their well-being,” the official aware of the plans said.
Divisional forest officer Prakash Verma also said residents of villages who live in and around the Kuno buffer zone advised not to use traps to safeguard their crop from animals.
Experts identified some challenges.
Anish Andheria, the President of the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT), said Kuno is a small national park, which may force the cheetahs to stray.
“The big cats need at least 2,000 to 3,000 sq km area to roam freely. Other than leopards, dogs will also be a risk factor for the cheetah. Cheetah is a cat and can run faster than dogs but get fatigued very fast. Dogs can smell and hunt them down,” he said.
