Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A six-member team of forest officials from the Palpur Kuno Sanctuary will be sent to Africa to learn how to take care of these animals. The team will leave for Africa in September.
The team slated to go to Africa comprises members from Kuno Sanctuary, where cheetahs will be brought as part of the translocation plan. The team will spend over 20 days there learning how to take care of the wild cats in different situations. Also part of the team is a veterinary doctor who will be trained exclusively in medical issues related to cheetahs. He will be posted at Kuno Sanctuary after the team’s return and will keep the animals under observation.
Chief conservator of forests (CCF), wildlife, Alok Kumar confirmed that the list of names of the team members had been sent to the representatives in the Union government. The team would leave in September, he added.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has set the deadline for bringing cheetahs to Madhya Pradesh latest by November. A team of experts from Africa will come with along with the cheetahs and remain in the sanctuary for about three months to take care of them, besides training the staff members.
Over a dozen cheetahs are expected to come to Kuno Sanctuary. Although the exact number of cheetahs to be brought here has not been finalized, forest officials say that they are still negotiating with the organisations in Africa and trying to increase the numbers.
All arrangements have been made for cheetah introduction at the Palpur Kuno Sanctuary, including separation of the area where the wild cats will be kept. That area will be surrounded by a specially designed fence to keep the cheetah confined and safe from dangers.
