Bhopal, December 15: Madhya Pradesh will get its third cheetah habitat at the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve at Nauradehi in Sagar district before the next monsoon, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said, as the state steps up efforts to expand the ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme.
The state cabinet has given in principle approval to develop the Nauradehi reserve as a cheetah habitat, following the successful translocation of the big cats from Africa to Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district.
“We are building three large cheetah reserves. Nauradehi has just been approved. We’re preparing an enclosure there. This will become a new home for cheetahs before next year’s monsoon” Yadav told.
Nauradehi will be the third cheetah reserve in the state after Kuno National Park, which was opened in September 2022 and the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Mandsaur, where cheetahs were introduced earlier this year. An enclosure is currently being prepared at Nauradehi to facilitate the introduction of the animals.
At present, Kuno National Park is home to 28 cheetahs, while two cheetahs have been released at the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary. Officials have said that eight more cheetahs are expected to be brought from Botswana to Kuno in January 2026.
Highlighting the success of the project the chief minister said Madhya Pradesh has emerged as a global example in cheetah conservation. “The entire state is open to cheetahs. India and Madhya Pradesh within India is the only place in the world where cheetah rehabilitation is successful. Many other states have tried, but none have succeeded” he said.
Responding to concerns over the recent rise in tiger deaths in the state, Yadav said such incidents tend to occur as tiger numbers increase, but efforts are being made to minimise them. “When there are too many tigers, such incidents naturally occur. But we are trying to minimise this,” he said.
The chief minister also said the state government is planning the translocation of other wildlife species, including rhinoceroses from Assam and king cobras, and is developing rescue centers zoos and a snake park in tiger reserves to promote conservation and tourism.
