MP: Cheetah from Namibia that strayed into village 20 kms outside Kuno National Park returns back

Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh): The cheetah named Oban that strayed into the field situated near Kuno National Park in Sheopur district on Saturday night returned to the jungle on Sunday after much effort by the forest department.

The villagers panicked when they saw Oban in the morning hours. They alerted the forest team. The forest officials immediately rushed to the village, and it was only on Sunday evening that the cheetah returned to the jungle.

District Forest Officer (DFO) Prakash Kumar Verma said Oban reached the Jhar Baroda village of Vijaypur, which is adjacent to the forest and was sitting on the farm.

The forest officials made the video of Oban, which went viral on social media. During daytime, cheetahs normally rest in shadow, hence the forest team waited for the evening hours to ensure Oban's return to the jungle of Kuno.

Safe passage created for Oban

The forest officials asked the villagers of Jhar Badoda not to disturb Oban. At sunset, forest officials created a safe passage for Oban. This tactic worked, as Oban followed safe passage and went inside the jungle. "It is very often that a cheetah enters a nearby field and returns inside the jungle," said Verma.

Cheetahs roaming in open forest of Kuno National Park are getting familiar with the forest by reaching its every corner. They roam in an area of 10 to 15 km per day.

Four Namibian cheetahs were released into the wild of Kuno National Park and Oban is one of them.