Guest Cheetahs in Kuno National Park Can Promote Tourism in MP

Upon becoming the new home of cheetahs that are being relocated from Namibia in Africa as part of an intercontinental translocation project, Kuno-Palpur National Park (KPNP) in Madhya Pradesh is predicted to witness a surge in tourism.

They contend that when tourism grows dramatically, local residents will also get access to new employment opportunities. According to his office in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release cheetahs brought in from Namibia on Saturday at the national park located in the Sheopur district of the state in a bid to revitalize and diversify the nation’s fauna and ecosystem. The introduction of the wild cats from Namibia is permitted according to a MoU that was made earlier this year.

The villagers are excitedly anticipating the arrival of the spotted guests from Africa at the national park. Here, there is a lot of vitality. According to former royal family member Rishiraj Singh Palpur, who discussed the proposal with PTI, the resort will have 14 rooms, a swimming pool, a restaurant, and other amenities for visitors. On a 6-bigha or so piece of land in Morawan, the resort will be constructed (about two acres).

He stated that the distance between the tourist attraction and the park’s main gate was around 15 kilometers. He believes that the national park’s cheetah population would attract more visitors and improve visitor services in the Sheopur district and nearby areas. Ashok Sarraf, owner of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board’s “Midway Treat” franchise, expressed confidence that after the Prime Minister releases the cheetahs from specially constructed enclosures inside the wildlife sanctuary on September 17, business will grow.

PM Narendra Modi appeared in a different getup and attended the event. He stated that, India has shown that economy and ecology are inseparable.

He also stated that a hotel is being developed at Sheopur with the consent of the MP Tourism Board. Owner Manoj Sarraf stated that his hotel and resort, which is now under construction on the Sheopur-Sawai Madhopur Road, would contain 35 rooms, a conference room, a gym, and other amenities.

The cheetah reintroduction initiative will ensure the area’s growth and employment generation through tourism, as the national park would earn a distinct place on the country’s wildlife map, he added. Villagers in Morawan, Sesaipura, Tiktoli, Adwada, Hathedi, and Chakrana are also enthusiastic about the idea.

According to Kamal Singh, a resident of Sesaipura, a hamlet near the park’s entrance, this endeavor will bring growth to the region, and cheetahs will become the primary attraction for tourists. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, ordered the development of five skill centers in Sheopur on September 11 to examine preparations for the translocation project.

According to authorities, eight cheetahs will be flown to the national park the same day they arrive in Jaipur, Rajasthan, aboard a cargo jet from Namibia. According to MP Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) JS Chauhan, the cargo jet carrying the big cats is anticipated to land in Jaipur between 6 and 7 am The cheetahs will be confined in smaller cages for a month after arrival, followed by larger cages for a few months to allow them to adjust to their new surroundings.

He plans to release them into the wild later. “We have built up six tiny quarantine cages as per the legal mandate necessary for animal transport from one continent to another,” the official previously stated. The last cheetah in India died in 1947 in the Korea district of modern-day Chhattisgarh, and the species was declared extinct in India in 1952. In 2009, the ‘African Cheetah Introduction Project in India’ was created. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, a plan to introduce large cats into KPNP by November of last year was pushed back.