Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The male Namibian cheetah Oban, now known as Pavan, had reached near border of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. Worried for its security, forest officials at Kuno National Park in Sheopur district rescued it through transqualisation and brought it back to Kuno.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) JS Chauhan said that strayed male cheetah was brought back from the border of Jhansi to Kuno.
Sources in Kuno National Park said that it was on Sunday that Pavan had crossed the border of Kuno National Park and reached till Madhav National Park in Shivpuri district. It stayed in Madhav National Park that has three tigers for five to six days. On Saturday, it went further and reached border of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. The monitoring team sought guidance from senior officers who gave nod to rescue it without wait.
Days before venturing into Madhav National Park, it had strayed into farms and grasslands in Shivpuri ditrict. Then too, it was tranqualised and brought back to Kuno National Park.
“We are surprised that Pavan is travelling to distant places, leaving behind Kuno,” said a forest officer associated with Cheetah Project.
Four Namibian cheetahs including Pavan were released into the wild of Kuno National Park after they completed the cooling off period at big enclosures. Of them, Oban is often exploring the regions situated outside Kuno National Park, leaving forest officials of Kuno on toes.
Earlier, when it had strayed inside Madhav National Park of Shivpuri, forest officials decided to wait for some days in hope that it would return to Kuno and were averse to tranqualisation as it leaves adverse effect on health of animal.
