Cheetah KP-2 Returns To Kuno National Park After 55-Day Rajasthan Odyssey Spanning Baran And Kota Districts

Jaipur: Cheetah KP-2, which had strayed from Kuno National Park, has returned after roaming Rajasthan for 55 days. After being tranquilized and undergoing a health check-up, it was released back into the Kuno Reserve on Friday.

From Baran to Kota

Cheetah KP-2 spent the first 45 days in the Baran district and had been roaming the Kota district for the past 10 days. Its entry into a residential area heightened safety risks, prompting officials from the Kuno Sanctuary to decide to bring it back.

The officials of the forest department in Kota said that the cheetah had been lingering near the banks of the Chambal River, close to the Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve and the Chambal Gharial Sanctuary. Consequently, a plan was formulated to rescue it on Friday from the deserted village of Nimoda. Based on information provided by the monitoring team tracking the cheetah, the staff was able to pinpoint its exact location. Following all the protocols, the cheetah was tranquilized, and after a health check-up, it was transported to Sheopur.

Offspring of African Cheetah ‘Asha’

Cheetah KP-2 is the offspring of 'Asha,' a cheetah brought from Africa. Its brother, KP-3, is also currently roaming the Mangrol region of the Baran district in Rajasthan. Cheetah KP-2 had been ranging across the terrain situated between the banks of the Chambal and Kalisindh rivers. Its movements spanned from wheat fields to the outskirts of villages, and at once it ventured into the village of Pipalda Samel.

Covering a distance of approximately 30 to 40 kilometers per day, its range of movement was expanding steadily, and it entered the territorial limits of the Kota district on March 19. Subsequently, its location was first detected in the Anta region; later, moving along the banks of the Yamuna and Chambal rivers, it reached the vicinity of Pipalda, Samel, and Sangahedi.