Cheetah Reintroduction in India

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Two more cheetahs released into the wild at Kuno National Park

BHOPAL: Elton and Freddie, two Namibian cheetahs also known as 'The Rockstars', were released in Kuno National Park in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, marking the second successful release of cheetahs in the wild.

The first couple, Oban and Aasha, were released two weeks prior and are currently exploring the region.

Sources have reported that Aasha has been moving in non-territorial regions. Originally, the plan was to release Elton and Freddy first, but officials were unable to capture Elton, who had been living in a hunting boma since November of last year. 


Therefore, Oban and Aasha were released in the first phase since they were mating. The local State Forest Department staff, assisted by the cheetah research team, is monitoring their movements 24 hours a day, and any animal that gets into an undesirable environment will be brought back.

Aasha was captured in a trap cage on a farm adjacent to the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) Centre in Otjiwarongo, Namibia in July 2022. 

On September 17, Prime Minister Modi of India was given the gift of naming this Namibian cheetah in honor of his birthday, and he chose the Indian name, Aasha, meaning "hope." CCF believes that Aasha was pregnant when she was translocated from Namibia to Kuno, but had lost the embryos, likely due to stress. 


Oban, on the other hand, is a male cheetah born at Erindi Private Game Reserve in March 2018 and considered a second-generation, wild-born cub to a rehabilitated female, proving reintroduction success in Namibia.

https://m.timesofindia.com/city/bhopal/two-more-cheetahs-released-into-the-wild-at-kuno-national-park/amp_articleshow/98922168.cms?fbclid=IwAR3hn4koilEP9RRbjuH19fWJMCxH7RopeReQrnIJ6yObWwbtIwSS8_AifQI&mibextid=tejx2t Reply