Check, mate: Plans for a second indigenous population of cheetahs in MP, Pg 13.

Key Highlights:

• Madhya Pradesh plans to introduce a female cheetah into Gandhisagar Sanctuary to establish a second indigenous cheetah population in India.
• Kuno National Park currently hosts 29 cheetahs, following the translocation of 20 individuals from southern Africa in 2022 and 2023.
• The Gandhisagar Sanctuary, located on the Madhya Pradesh-Rajasthan border, is approximately 280 km from Kuno National Park.
• Nineteen cheetahs currently in Kuno were born in India.

Detailed Insights:

• The relocation aims to create a new cheetah population amid stalled talks for additional cheetahs from South Africa, Kenya, and Botswana.
• Female cheetahs reach puberty around 25-30 months, with first litters typically at 29 months, while males seek to mate between 4 and 5 years.
• Post-birth, the mother cheetah stays with her cubs for 2-3 days, then moves in a ‘star’ pattern, always returning to the den.
• Cheetah cubs grow rapidly, gaining about 45 grams daily, requiring the mother to consume over 1.5 kg of food daily to maintain milk production.
• Leopard presence in Gandhi Sagar is a concern; 24 leopards were counted in late 2024, with 17 relocated by March 2025 to mitigate risks.
• The female cheetah will be monitored closely before mating with the two males, Prabhash and Pavak, with lessons learned from a May 2023 incident where a female died during a mating attempt.
• Monitoring includes assessing the female’s hunts, watching for mating, providing an adequate prey base, and supplementing with dressed meat.
• Veterinary teams inspect cub health, weight, and well-being from about 10 days after birth for approximately six weeks, using cameras to monitor cubs and their mother after they leave the den.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Gestation: The period of development inside the womb between conception and birth.
• Parturition: The action of giving birth.
• Estrus: The period in the sexual cycle of female mammals when they are receptive to mating.