Deer fed to Kuno cheetahs? MP govt rejects Bishnoi community claims

Bhopal, Sep 21: The Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday rejected Bishnoi community claims that chital were brought to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park as prey for the eight African cheetahs in their new home.

"Reports of chital being brought from Rajasthan to Madhya Pradesh is not true because it requires the permission of the state and central government. Kuno has more than 20,000 chitals, so the news of bringing chital from outside is just speculation," the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department said.

On Tuesday, Bhishnoi community leaders had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming that deer were being "dropped" into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh to feed the cheetahs recently brought there from Namibia.

In a tweet, BJP leader Kuldeep Bishnoi also cited "reports" about deer being fed to the cheetahs recently reintroduced in India.

"I request the central government to get the matter investigated in view of the species of deer which are on the verge of extinction in Rajasthan and the sentiments of the Bishnoi society. And if the information is found to be true, then it should be stopped immediately," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

The community is known for revering the blackbuck, and wildlife in general.

In its letter, Akhil Bhartiya Bishnoi Mahasabha has stated that it is very pained after coming to know about the practice as it is working hard to protect the specie from all the danger and threat.

It further questioned how come the government has brought cheetas, who have been long extinct, into India but is paying no attention to its wildlife species that are nearing extinction.