Sagar, Oct 7 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday expanded its cheetah reintroduction programme to a third habitat with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav releasing two cheetahs, male Vyom and female Neera, at the Rani Durgavati Tiger Reserve in Sagar.
The development is significant for India’s cheetah conservation programme as the two animals have been introduced into a reserve that already has tigers, unlike some of the state’s other cheetah habitats.
Yadav said Madhya Pradesh had emerged as a suitable landscape for the reintroduction of the species, which became extinct in Asia.
“The successful reintroduction in Madhya Pradesh of the cheetah, a species that had become extinct in Asia, is an important example of wildlife conservation,” he said. The Chief Minister said the cheetah population in Madhya Pradesh had increased to 60 from the initial eight animals brought to India, describing the rise as an indication of strengthening wildlife management and the state’s developing ecosystem.
The two cheetahs released on Wednesday were named Vyom and Neera.
Yadav said two more cheetahs would be brought to the reserve next month. “From the initial eight cheetahs, their number has now increased to 60. This is a testament to our strong wildlife management and the developing ecosystem,” he said.
The Rani Durgavati Tiger Reserve, formerly known as Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, is the third location in Madhya Pradesh to host cheetahs after Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
Yadav said the reserve had a distinct feature, as tigers were already present in the area where the cheetahs had been released. He said cheetahs had been sighted in the region around 170 years ago.
“The Cheetah Project will not only strengthen wildlife conservation but also create new opportunities for tourism and employment. A suitable environment has been developed at the Rani Durgavati Tiger Reserve for cheetahs along with tigers,” he said.
The Chief Minister also emphasised involving local communities in the economic benefits generated by wildlife tourism. He said around Rs 80 crore had been collected from sanctuaries in the state this year, of which Rs 20 crore had been distributed among villagers living around protected areas.
“This is their right because they have been living in villages and homes around these sanctuaries for years,” Yadav said. The state government was also promoting homestays in tiger reserve buffer zones and providing grants of Rs 2-3 lakh to residents for the facility, he said.
Yadav said wildlife conservation could also support rural livelihoods by promoting livestock rearing in forest areas where agricultural land was limited.
The Chief Minister was speaking at the concluding ceremony of Wildlife Conservation Week at the reserve. He released the Vulture Population Assessment-2026 report and unveiled a book on the Rani Durgavati Tiger Reserve in the Bundeli language.
The CM also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on completing 25 years as an elected public representative and recalled that the cheetah project was launched in Madhya Pradesh in 2022 in his presence.
Yadav said the expansion of the cheetah programme would strengthen the state’s ecosystem while providing fresh opportunities for tourism and employment.
–IANS
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