Three cheetahs from Kuno to make Gujarat’s Banni their new home

Ahmedabad: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has decided to translocate three cheetahs brought from Botswana to Kuno National Park to the Banni grasslands in Kutch.

A second batch of four cheetahs from Kenya is expected to arrive later this year.

Principal chief conservator of forests, Jaipal Singh, confirmed the development, stating that the three cheetahs, two females and one male, have already been quarantined at Kuno and will be brought to Kutch. “These three cheetahs are most likely to arrive before monsoon, or soon after the season,” he said.According to a senior officer, the NTCA and officials associated with the project have decided to mix the breeds at Banni, which will host cheetahs from both Botswana and Kenya.

Officials said the NTCA team, which visited the state in March, had given the green light to the translocation of four Kenyan cheetahs to Banni. The felines, two male-female pairs, are now expected to arrive later this year.Officials added that the NTCA has developed a special quarantine facility at Kuno. So, all cheetahs to be brought to Gujarat will first be moved to Kuno for quarantine before being translocated.

The move establishes Gujarat as the second home for cheetahs in India after Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. In all, 12 cheetahs are planned to be brought to Banni within a year of the first arrivals.The Banni facility is the country’s first cheetah conservation breeding centre. Its 500-hectare main enclosure has been designed as a rich Kenyan savannah-like open habitat to support both acclimatization and breeding.Namibian cheetahs, on the other hand, move through private farmlands and dry, sparse landscapes, a senior official said, highlighting why Banni is the best habitat choice. The cheetah territory has ample room, crucial for a species built for speed and wide-ranging movement.To safeguard the animals, officials said strong chain-link fencing has been installed along the approximately 9,830-metre boundary to prevent escapes and to keep other large carnivores from entering and triggering dangerous encounters.Officials said that once the cheetahs breed at the facility, there is a possibility they may be released into free-range areas in Kutch. However, any such decision will be taken by the NTCA.