AFTER GANDHI SAGAR, CHEETAHS TO BE INTRODUCED IN BANNI

Cheetahs will be introduced in Gandhi Sagar later this year.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

After Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh and the upcoming home of cheetahs at Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary in the same state, the Banni grassland reserve in Kutch district of Gujarat will become the third place in India to see the presence of cheetahs in the coming months.

Official sources in Bhopal and Delhi said that the cheetahs in Gandhi Sagar will be introduced by the year end and all preparations that were required, have been completed.

Official sources confirmed that the introduction of cheetahs at Gandhi Sagar, which is spread across Mandsaur and Neemuch districts of north-west Madhya Pradesh bordering East Rajasthan, will take place. The plans have not been shelved or postponed in wake of reports about cheetahs being brought to Banni.

“The two are separate plans. The introduction of cheetahs in Gandhi Sagar will take place as per the timeline, which is scheduled in the last months of this year. In Banni, it is still in the initial stages, and many more modalities need to be worked on,” said a top official associated with the cheetah reintroduction efforts that the Union government has undertaken.

Sources said that while Gandhi Sagar, like Kuno, will start with an enclosed setup that will then transform to a place for free movement of these wild cats, Banni will be more of a breeding centre for cheetahs that will be spread across 500 acres for now.