Gwalior: Agni, the male cheetah who was released into the safari area at Kuno National Park by Madhya Pradesh wildlife officials on December 18, has gone out of the limits of the park and was spotted by villagers in the Awada district, creating fear and panic among them.
As per sources, the wild animal was off limits of Sheopur for the past two days following which Kuno's tracking team and experts have been closely tracking the beast which has a collar ID placed around its neck.
According to experts, Agni poses absolutely no threat to the villagers as cheetahs do not attack humans. Villagers should not take any step that could harm the leopard, experts advised.
After closely observing 15 cheetahs—seven males, seven females, and a cub—housed in enclosures within Kuno National Park since August, the decision was made to release the animals.
They were under close observation because, according to some officials and scientists, wearing down radio collars during wet weather may have been the cause of illnesses that killed three cheetahs during the monsoon.
Project Cheetah: As part of Project Cheetah, 20 cheetahs were shifted to the Kuno National Park. The first batch was moved in September 2022, and the second group moved in February this year. The animals were hailed from Namibia and South Africa. Since March of this year, three cubs born in India and six adult cheetahs who were all transported from South Africa and Namibia have lost their lives.
Read more:
