Cheetahs in Kuno are healthy, to be released in bigger enclosure on Oct 17

Bhopal, Oct 10: The newly translocated cheetahs from Namibia are set to be shifted into larger holding enclosures in Kuno National Park to make them better acclimatisation to the new environment. If everything goes well, the cheetah will be released into the 600 hectare enclosure built for them by October 17.

So far, the cheetahs have adapted well without any major hiccups. They will be shifted to the special enclosures as per the schedule.

The government has set up a special Cheetah task force (CTF) to monitor the conditions of the eight Cheetahs flown in from Namibia earlier this month.

The task force will also monitor release of cheetahs from small enclosures, known as 'bomas' to soft-release enclosures and then to grassland and open forest areas.

The authorities will face the major challenges when the cheetahs are out of quarantine and begin to hunt in earnest. The cheetahs are now in a controlled 10-km area, from where they will be moved to a 6 sq km area after October 17 where prey will be introduced for hunting. After another 3-4 months, they will be moved to the wild.

The animals are now being provided food by killing prey from the wild.

"The quarantine is likely to affect the fitness levels of the cheetahs, but they will gradually regain it as they begin to hunt," said a wildlife conservationist involved with the translocation, told the Print.

"Our biggest concerns are losses to leopards and snaring and bush hunting," he added.

The cheetahs, which went extinct seven decades ago, were reintroduced at Kuno National Park by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17, on his birthday.

During 93rd 'Mann ki Baat' by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also referred to the success of cheetahs and said that a task force has been set up to monitor the progress of cheetahs adapting to their new environment.