WATCH: Five Months After Pavak & Prabhas, Female Cheetah Dheera Joins Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A female cheetah named Dheera from Kuno National Park has been released into Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary on Wednesday, under the Cheetah Project.

The relocation has been made to mark a milestone - completion of three years of Cheetah project in India.

Dheera has been shifted to a specially prepared enclosure where enough prey has been arranged. This will help her adjust to the new surroundings before being allowed to roam freely in the wild.

Pavak and Prabhas were released 5 months ago 

Earlier on April 20, 2025, Cheetah brothers Pavak and Prabhas were released in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary of Mandsaur district. Two big wild cats reportedly adapted to the new environment quickly as they were found preying on a male chital within 30 hours of release.

Male cheetahs Pavak and Prabhas are about 6 years old. Both brothers were brought from South Africa on 18 February 2023.

KNP plans breeding program

Prabhas and Pavak are the two male Cheetahs from a group of 12 brought from South Africa to Kuno National Park in February 2023. They became the first Cheetahs to settle in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary on April 20, 2025.

Now, the female cheetah, Dheera, has joined them as part of an ambitious breeding program.

According to KNP officials, the goal is to expand and increase the cheetah population across different parts of Madhya Pradesh, rather than restricting them to a single site. 

This comes just two days after a 20-month-old female cheetah was found dead in Kuno National Park. This is considered as the result of the first recorded clash between a leopard and a cheetah in the field.