Jaipur: Two female cheetahs brought from Botswana to Kuno National Park on Feb 28 this year have moved out of the park and entered Rajasthan, reaching the Rajpur-Behta forests in the Shahabad area of Baran district.The cheetahs, identified as OKAD-1 and OKAD-2, are around two and a half years old. They were among nine cheetahs brought from Botswana to India in Feb. After spending time at Kuno, they have now moved into the Shahabad forests, where teams from Kuno and the state forest department are closely monitoring their movements.The development comes days after another cheetah, Veera, was also roaming in the same forest area. Veera was also roaming in the same forest area. Veera remained there for several days before returning to Madhya Pradesh two days ago. With two more cheetahs now entering the Rajasthan landscape, the forest department has intensified surveillance in the region.DFO Vivekanand Bade is closely monitoring the cheetahs’ movements, while forest personnel are maintaining continuous vigil.“The movement of cheetahs from Kuno in Madhya Pradesh to Baran in Rajasthan is a natural territorial behaviour. A significant part of the cheetah corridor passes through Rajasthan, covering landscapes across Baran, Sawai Madhopur, Kota, Karauli, Jhalawar, Bundi and Chittorgarh,” an official said.He added, “The combined forest areas of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan form a vast 17,000 sq km landscape, with Rajasthan contributing approximately 6,500 sq km of forest cover.”A senior forest official said the repeated movement of cheetahs into the Shahabad forests indicates that the landscape could provide suitable habitat for the big cats in future. “We have appealed to villagers to maintain a safe distance, avoid gathering crowds and immediately inform officials about any sightings,” the official said.
