Cheetah Asha strays out of Kuno National Park again
In a repeat of a similar incident in June 2021, the GPS collar attached to Asha showed that she had ventured out of the national park boundaries on Wednesday night. The forest officials are now trying to track her movements to ensure her safety.
Asha was relocated to Kuno National Park from Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in 2020, as part of the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) reintroduction programme to bring cheetahs back to India. The Kuno National Park was identified as the most suitable habitat for the reintroduction of cheetahs in the country.
The sighting of cheetahs in the wild after nearly 70 years was a moment of great excitement and pride for wildlife enthusiasts and conservationists. However, with Asha’s repeated incidents of straying out of the park, concerns have been raised about the success of the reintroduction programme and the safety of both the animal and the local communities.
Cheetahs are classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the reintroduction programme is a crucial step towards preserving their population in India. However, the incidents of Asha straying out of the park highlight the need for effective monitoring and management strategies to ensure the safety of both the animal and the surrounding communities.
Forest officials have assured that they are taking all necessary measures to track and monitor Asha’s movements and ensure her safety. They have also appealed to the local communities to report any sightings of the cheetah and to not approach the animal.
The success of the cheetah reintroduction programme will depend on the effective implementation of monitoring and management strategies. The incident of Asha straying out of the park highlights the need for greater efforts towards achieving this goal.