The ambitious project to set up a 17,000 sq km cheetah corridor so that the animals could roam freely between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan has been put on hold after MP forest officials decided to prioritise stabilising the cheetah population in their home state first.
According to wildlife officials, the two states tried to set up a corridor where the animals could roam freely in a protected habitat. This was done since cheetahs tend to cover long distances.
Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) Ashok Barnwal told The Indian Express, “We have currently put the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Government of Rajasthan on hold. This is because we want to first ensure that the cheetah population in Madhya Pradesh stabilises and grows. Only after this is achieved will we move forward with the project with the Rajasthan government.”
A senior wildlife official from Rajasthan said they were still waiting for the MP government to sign the MoU. “In June, we expected to hear from the MP government, and they communicated to us that it would not proceed currently due to unprecedented circumstances. Then, we wrote another letter to know the status of the MoU just a week ago and are awaiting their reply.”
According to a senior MP wildlife official, the MoU was put on hold for the time being as officials feared the cheetahs from MP may not return to their home state. Over the last two years, cheetahs have crossed into Rajasthan multiple times. On August 12, female cheetah Jwala was rescued from Kareera Kalan village in Sawaimadhopur district of Rajasthan, under challenging conditions. With an enormous crowd of onlookers, the cornered animal was rescued after darting.
“Cheetahs are free-ranging animals, and the long-term plan is that they move to other states in India, discover a new prey base and populate. This is what happened under Project Tiger, too. We set up tiger corridors, trained the staff and eventually, the protection was expanded, helping in its conservation. But, right now, there is a fear that the cheetahs may not return, hence we are focusing on increasing the cheetah population,” the officer said.
The corridor was meant to link Palpur Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh with the Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan. As part of the plan, seven districts in Rajasthan — Kota, Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, and Chittorgarh — were to be integrated into the project. Of the total corridor area, 10,500 square km would have fallen within Madhya Pradesh, and 6,500 square km in Rajasthan.
