Cheetah Cub Adventure: Strays Spark Wildlife Excitement in Madhya Pradesh

A female cheetah and her four cubs strayed from Kuno National Park, reaching villages in Madhya Pradesh. Villagers recorded videos as forest officials managed the situation. Initiated by Prime Minister Modi, the cheetah translocation project has introduced 26 cheetahs, enhancing India's wildlife conservation and tourism efforts.

A female cheetah and her four cubs wandered out of Kuno National Park and arrived in nearby villages in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on Monday, officials reported. The event quickly became a spectacle for locals as villagers captured footage of the rare sighting, while forest teams worked diligently to guide the animals back.

In videos surging on social media, cheetah Jwala and her cubs were spotted near an under-construction railway bridge in the Virpur tehsil area, with concerned villagers observing from a distance. Villagers and the forest team intervened when one cheetah attempted to hunt a calf, successfully diverting the predator away.

The cheetah translocation project, part of India's efforts to rebuild its cheetah population, gained prominence when Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno National Park in September 2022. Totaling 26 cheetahs currently, this initiative marks a significant milestone in wildlife conservation and tourism enhancement in the region.

(With inputs from agencies.)