Madhya Pradesh To Shift Cheetahs To Tiger Reserve In Co-Existence Trial
· India · Hindustan Times, The Hindu
The Madhya Pradesh forest department is seeking permission from the National Tiger Conservation Authority to relocate cheetahs to the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, which currently houses 30 tigers. This initiative marks a pioneering attempt at cheetah and tiger co-existence in the wild, establishing VDTR as the third home for cheetahs in the state alongside Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. Madhya Pradesh currently maintains a population of 60 cheetahs, including 57 at Kuno where they were first translocated from African countries four years ago. Wildlife experts noted that while cheetahs may initially face challenges from tigers, the experiment is crucial for observing how three major carnivores—cheetahs, leopards, and tigers—interact in open spaces. Former Wildlife Institute dean YV Jhala emphasized that allowing cheetahs to roam freely after restoring safe habitats and prey bases is a necessary step for the long-term success of the project.
Why it matters
Introducing cheetahs into a tiger reserve is a critical milestone for India's ambitious translocation project, testing whether big cats can successfully share open wilderness habitats.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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