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A female cheetah, Jwala, and her four cubs, who were released into the wild of Kuno National Park in Sheopur district, were spotted roaming in rural areas outside the park on Sunday evening and Monday morning, a forest official said.
The cheetahs, released into the open wild on February 21, ventured outside the park boundary for the first time on Saturday evening. They were later seen near Veerpur tehsil on Sunday evening, where Jwala attempted to hunt a calf. However, villagers present at the spot chased them away using sticks. Nonetheless, the forest department and the cheetah tracking team were present at the location, advising the villagers to remain calm and allow the cheetahs to pass. A video of the incident surfaced on social media, showing the cheetah gripping the calf's neck for a long time. However, when the villagers threw a stone, Jwala was startled, released the calf, and ran away with her cubs. Director of Cheetah Project, Uttam Kumar Sharma, told ANI, "Cheetahs came out of the park and reached the rural area adjacent to Kuno National Park. The villagers need not be afraid of them, instead, they should give him away. These Cheetahs were released at the Ahera Gate area of the Kuno Park and travelled 50 km towards the west." He further urged the villagers not to chase the cheetahs away with sticks but to observe them and allow them to move ahead. "If a cheetah hunts any cattle, then the cattle owner is also given proper compensation for it," he added. Currently, 17 cheetahs are roaming freely in Kuno National Park, including 11 cubs and six adult cheetahs. (ANI)
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