As many as ten people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in forest-related offenses such as hunting and tree-cutting near Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, officials said on Saturday. It is pertinent to mention, KNP is the home of cheetahs in India.
The forest department said in a press release said that the arrests were made from the Karahal forest range, some 40 km from KNP boundaries. The accused, including four from Rajasthan, were arrested in relation to charges of tree-cutting, encroachment, and hunting. The officials also seized two axes, a ‘gofan’ (sling) and five nooses that from their possession.
Ten people involved in forest crimes were arrested
According to Karahal’s Forest Range Officer Satyendra Singh Dhakad, the accused have been booked under Indian Forest Act and Wildlife (Protection) Act and they were presented before a court before being sent to jail.
KNP’s Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) PK Verma said, “Ten people allegedly involved in forest crimes were nabbed from a jungle, about 40 km from the protected park’s boundaries.”
Kuno National Park home for cheetahs
Kuno National Park gained significant attention following the release of eight Namibian cheetahs, comprising five females and three males, into enclosures as part of the Cheetah Reintroduction Project in September 2022. Additionally, in February 2023, an additional 12 cheetahs were bought at Kuno National Park from South Africa.
Subsequently, in March, four cubs were born to the Namibian cheetah named 'Jwala.' Unfortunately, three of the cubs couldn't survive the extreme heat and passed away in May.
Currently, there are fourteen cheetahs in Kuno National Park, comprising seven males, six females, and a female cub that is being hand-raised. Among them, one female cheetah is presently roaming in the open area, while the rest are kept in enclosures. Officials said that a team consisting of wildlife veterinarians from Kuno National Park and a Namibian expert is actively involved in regularly monitoring the health of the cheetahs.
9 cheetahs died at KNP
Since March, six adult cheetahs at Kuno National Park have passed away due to different reasons. The most recent cheetah death occurred on August 2, bringing the total feline fatalities to nine, including the three cubs, since March. On July 11, Tejas, a male cheetah, was found dead, with suspected evidence of infighting as the cause. Subsequently, on July 14, another male cheetah named Suraj was also found dead.
Earlier, on March 27, one of the Namibian cheetahs named Sasha passed away due to a kidney-related ailment. Then, on April 13, another cheetah named Uday, brought from South Africa, also died. Furthermore, on May 9, Daksha, another cheetah from South Africa, suffered fatal injuries during a violent encounter with a male cheetah while attempting to mate.
Cheetahs were reintroduced in India 70 years after the extinction of the species in the wild in the country.
(With PTI inputs)
