Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav released female cheetah Radha into the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in the Neemuch-Mandsaur districts on Sunday. On the occasion of Radhashtami, CM named the female cheetah Radha.
Congratulating everyone on the occasion, Dr. Yadav said that the Cheetah Project, launched under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was setting new benchmarks of success. At the same time, efforts were underway to reintroduce wildlife species that had become extinct in Madhya Pradesh. The cheetahs released last year are completely healthy.
The release of Radha into Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary marks an important step towards expanding Project Cheetah in Madhya Pradesh. With the arrival of female cheetah Radha, the number of cheetahs in the sanctuary has increased to four. The sanctuary already had two male cheetahs, Prabhas and Pavak, and one female cheetah, Dheera. Gandhi Sagar now has two male and two female cheetahs.
CM Mohan Yadav said Project Cheetah was progressing successfully in Madhya Pradesh, with the growing cheetah population being evidence of its progress. He said Madhya Pradesh was fortunate to be blessed with rich wildlife diversity. The state is known not only as a “Cheetah State” but also as a “Tiger State”, “Gharial State” and “Vulture State”. Wild buffaloes have also been brought from Assam, while the elephant population in the state has reached around 100.
CM said the presence of cheetahs in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary would promote wildlife conservation as well as tourism and create new employment and livelihood opportunities for local residents.
CM said the introduction of female cheetah Radha marks an important step towards expanding Project Cheetah beyond Kuno in Madhya Pradesh. Gandhi Sagar is being developed as the second major habitat for cheetahs. The Forest Department team will continuously monitor the health, behaviour and adaptation of the cheetahs to the new environment.
CM said the arrival of the new female cheetah is also expected to strengthen conservation efforts and enhance the prospects of cheetah breeding in Gandhi Sagar. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav also released the booklet ‘Second Home of Cheetah: Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary’, published by the Forest Department.
