Madhya Pradesh forest department is bracing to shift the eight cheetahs into a larger enclosure after November 5 from their quarantine bomas (enclosures) in which they were kept following their arrival in Kuno-Palpur National Park from Namibia. The decision was taken during a meeting of the Cheetah Task Force held on October 29 and October 31. According to forest department officials, the work on enhancing the power of the DC current around the larger enclosure and stocking sufficient prey in each of the nine compartments in the enclosure that spreads across five square km area will be completed by November 5 after which the cheetahs will be shifted. The forest officials are working on upgrading the facilities in the enclosure based on the suggestions made by the task force set up by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Lauri Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF). Marker's team had suggested that each enclosure should have around 40 animals as prey. The forest officials in Kuno have said they will ensure an optimum prey base, as needed. As per the decision, nearly 40 cheetals (spotted deer) will be released into each of the nine compartments of the enclosure enabling the cheetahs to hunt them down, as against the earlier decision of having the prey in a single compartment and then releasing them to any compartment as per need. All the nine compartments inside the 5 sq km area are interconnected. Chief Wildlife Warden JS Chauhan said, “We are working to complete the recommendations made (by the task force) by November 5, after which the cheetahs will be shifted into the larger enclosure.” After being flown down from Namibia, the eight cheetahs are placed in quarantine bomas where they are fed with beef meat. However, once inside the larger enclosure, these eight cheetahs will once again get back to hunting for their survival. The eight cheetahs named Elton, Freddi, Oban, Sasha, Siyaya, Savannah, Tbilisi and Asha will be shifted to the enclosure without being tranquilised. While the brothers Freedi and Elton will be put up together much like Savannah and Sasha, all others including Tbilisi, Asha, Siyaya and Oban will be in separate compartments after being moved out of their quarantine bomas. A natural corridor will be created for the cheetahs to move into the larger enclosure.
