Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], March 17 (ANI): Female cheetah 'Gamini' along with her two male cubs and two female cubs were successfully released into the open wild at the Kuno National Park located in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on Monday.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav shared the information through a post on his X handle, stating it as another proud moment for the State tourism. He also highlighted that now a total of 17 cheetahs are roaming in the open wild in the Kuno park.

'Another proud moment has come for Madhya Pradesh tourism. Today, female cheetah Gamini and her four cubs have been successfully released from a large enclosure into the open wild in Khajuri forest area of Kuno National Park. Now, with a total of 17 cheetahs roaming freely in the Kuno, the tourists will get an exciting and thrilling experience to see the cheetahs roaming around during their safari visit,' Yadav said in the post.

The Chief Minister emphasised that Madhya Pradesh became 'a mother's lap' for Cheetahs, where they regained speed as well as continuously increasing their family.

'Madhya Pradesh has become a mother's lap for the cheetahs, which have gone extinct from Asia. Here, cheetahs are not only regaining their speed but are also steadily increasing their family. Madhya Pradesh is committed to preserving wildlife and protecting biodiversity for future generations,' he added.

Earlier in the day, CM Yadav expressed his hope that this move will boost tourism as well as the economy of the state.

'Today is a remarkable day for the forest department and for the Cheetah project. A female Cheetah Gamini and its cubs will be released into the wild and will roam freely on the land of Madhya Pradesh. It is a matter of good fortune for us that Kuno National Park in Sheopur was selected for the reintroduction of Cheetah. Our Forest department has done remarkable work. This will increase tourism as well as the economy,' CM Yadav said.

Project Cheetah was launched to revive the presence of extinct Cheetah in the country. As part of the first-ever intercontinental translocation of the species, 20 cheetahs were brought to Kuno National Park--eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023. Since their arrival, the project has faced challenges, with eight adult cheetahs--three females and five males--dying.

Currently, the number of total cheetahs at Kuno National Park stands at 26, which include 12 adult cheetahs and 14 cubs born on Indian soil. (ANI)