Sagar (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 7 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday released two cheetahs brought from Kuno National Park into the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve in Sagar district, making it the third cheetah habitat in the state.
The two cheetahs, a male and a female, have been named ‘Vyom’ and ‘Neera’, respectively. CM Yadav said their release marked an important step towards wildlife conservation and development of suitable natural habitats.
Speaking to reporters, CM Yadav noted that the day marked a special occasion as Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed 25 successful years of his tenure as an elected representative. To commemorate the occasion, the Cheetah Project, which was launched in Madhya Pradesh in his presence, enters a new phase today.
“Our government decided to develop the third habitat for cheetahs at Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve in the state. I am happy that today two cheetahs, a male and a female, have been given the names Vyom and Neera and they have been released here,” CM Yadav said.
The Chief Minister said the successful reintroduction of cheetahs became an exemplary example of restoring a species that had become extinct in Asia.
“It is a matter of great fortune for us that a species which had become extinct from Asia has been successfully reintroduced in our state, setting an excellent example of restoring a species. Today, the total population of cheetahs has increased to 60. Our entire ecosystem is gradually working across all the areas and I hope this will strengthen the ecosystem for wildlife as well,” he said.
Additionally, the Chief Minister stressed that it would also help develop tourism around the wildlife sanctuaries in several ways, and tourism would create employment opportunities for many people.
Highlighting the significance of Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, CM Yadav said it was important that the new cheetah habitat already had tigers.
“The most important aspect is that where we are releasing the cheetahs, it is already a home to tigers. This is the sanctuary where we have taken the cheetah project forward step by step with better management. The way the area has been managed, tigers will live comfortably here and the cheetah family will also settle here,” Yadav said.
He added that all the arrangements had also been made to ensure their food and maintain the populations of other wildlife in the reserve.
Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, also known as Nauradehi Tiger Reserve, is the largest tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh and is spread across approximately 2,339 square kilometres in Sagar, Damoh and Narsinghpur districts.
The reserve was established in 1997 and was granted tiger reserve status on September 20, 2023, after the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary was integrated into the tiger reserve.
The reserve is home to diverse wildlife, including tigers, leopards, chital, sambar, nilgai and bears. The area is also important for the conservation of endangered Indian vulture species. (ANI)
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