'African Cheetah' Sighting in Rajasthan Sparks Panic, Forest Department on Alert

Cheetah Spotted In Baran: After resting in the bushes of the hills all night, the African cheetah became active again this morning and is now visible. The African cheetah crossed the border of MP's Sheopur and reached the Ramgarh area of Kishanganj in Baran district. When the villagers received the information, they informed the forest department. Since then, officials have been continuously tracking the cheetah. However, it is within the vicinity of the team.

The operation to capture the cheetah will be carried out only after the tranquiliser team arrives from Sheopur Kuno. Currently, the cheetah is within 100 meters of the tracking team. Earlier, the forest department, on alert, dispatched a monitoring team from Kuno to the Kishanganj forest area. A doctor and a medical team are also accompanying them. The sighting of the cheetah caused a stir among the people of the Ramgarh area. There was also an atmosphere of fear among the devotees who had come to visit Ramgarh Mataji.

Locals Mistook It For A Panther

An African cheetah was sighted in the Ramgarh area on Wednesday evening. Initially, it was believed to be a local panther. Later, a team from Kuno National Park identified it as an African cheetah. It was identified as KP-2. According to information, this cheetah had hunted a nilgai in the same area some time ago. Forest department teams from both states have been trying to track the cheetah since Wednesday. This predatory cheetah, which has travelled over 50 km into the tribal area, was seen in the hills of the Ramgarh Crater.

Cheetah Is Safe, Will Be Tranquilised Soon

District Forest Officer Vivekananda Manikrao stated that the Kuno National Park team had been informed. The Kuno team arrived there on Thursday night. The cheetah is completely safe. Teams from Kuno National Park and Baran Forest Department are continuously engaged in tranquilising the cheetah. It will be tranquilised and moved to a safe location soon. The cheetah that left Kuno National Park in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh, has reached the grassland-rich wild area of Baran district while roaming.

Location Found In Baran

The team from Kuno National Park had been searching for this cheetah for four days. Its location was found in the tribal forest of Baran district, bordering Madhya Pradesh. Here, on Thursday, villagers saw the cheetah drinking water from the river near a religious site and India's first notified crater. Forest department teams from both states are continuously tracking and monitoring the cheetah. It is noteworthy that in December 2023, a cheetah had entered the forest of the Kelwara area, and it was tranquilised, put in a cage, and taken back.

Cub's Movement Between Avada and Baran District Border For One Month

The distance from Kuno in Sheopur to the Ramgarh area of Baran is approximately 60 kilometres. Kuno officials say that the cub is roaming freely, and there is no plan to tranquilise and bring it back at the moment. A cub of the female cheetah Jwala, which left Kuno National Park, had been moving in the Avada area of the general forest division of Sheopur district and the forest between the Sheopur-Baran border for the past month.

It has been spotted several times in this area in search of its territory. Two days ago, this cheetah cub crossed the Parvati river and was tracked in the forest of the Ramgarh area of Baran district in Rajasthan. Following this, Kuno management also informed the forest department of Baran district, and the Kuno tracking team has also reached the spot.

Cheetah cubs are moving in different areas outside Kuno. This cheetah was also in the Sheopur-Baran border area for the past few days. There is currently no plan to tranquilise it and bring it back.

Uttam Kumar Sharma, Field Director, Cheetah Project Kuno Sheopur

Nilgai Hunt, Fear Among Villagers

The Kuno Park cheetah cub was spotted on Thursday in the Kul River flowing near the Ramgarh Crater in the Kishanganj tehsil area. Prem Shankar Vaishnav, Chairman of Suvas Lamps Cooperative Society, said that villagers saw the panther drinking water inside the river and made a video. After this, the cheetah cub drank water and moved towards the fields. There, it also hunted a nilgai. Upon receiving the information, the forest department's rescue team reached the spot and started a search operation in the surrounding area. Later, the cheetah's movement in the river was confirmed about 2 kilometres away from Chandrapura Nayagaon near Ramgarh town.

The forest department has appealed to the people of the area not to leave their homes unnecessarily and to maintain a safe distance from the incident site. The Deputy Conservator of Forests, Baran, stated that the team is keeping an eye on the cheetah. The operation to capture the cheetah will be carried out only after the tranquiliser team arrives from Kuno. Currently, the cheetah is within 100 meters of the tracking team. Villagers reported that the cheetah cub is sitting near the hunted nilgai.