MP releases two Cheetahs in Veerangana Durgavati Reserve

Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday expanded its cheetah conservation programme beyond Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav releasing two cheetahs into the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve in Sagar district.The move marks the entry of cheetahs into the Bundelkhand region and makes Veerangana Durgavati the third cheetah habitat in Madhya Pradesh after Kuno and Gandhi Sagar.The two cheetahs, Tholo and CCB-3, were brought from Kuno National Park and released into the reserve on October 7, coinciding with the concluding day of Wildlife Conservation Week.
Calling the development a historic chapter in wildlife conservation, an official said the release would give a major boost to conservation efforts in Sagar and the wider Bundelkhand region.The Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, earlier known as the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, spans around 2,339 square kilometres across Sagar, Damoh and Narsinghpur districts. It is Madhya Pradesh’s largest tiger reserve and was notified as a tiger reserve in September 2023.The landscape, comprising open forests and grasslands, offers suitable conditions for cheetahs and has a natural prey base of species such as chital, sambar and nilgai. The reserve is also home to tigers, leopards, bears and other wildlife.Special arrangements have been made across around 439 hectares for the cheetahs, including secure enclosures, or bomas, and facilities for their protection and adaptation. Forest officials will closely monitor their movement, health and adaptation to the new habitat.
Chief Minister Yadav said the cheetah had been absent from Madhya Pradesh for more than a century, recalling that the last cheetah in the state was seen around 110–115 years ago.He said Project Cheetah began in Madhya Pradesh in 2022 and had faced several initial challenges. According to Yadav, India’s cheetah population has now reached 60 following the recent birth of five cubs.

Sagar, Madhya Pradesh: On the homecoming of cheetahs to the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav says, "... Just the day before yesterday, five new cubs were born. Today, creating all kinds of favorable conditions, the land of Madhya Pradesh is not only suitable for us, but it is also bringing a great level of adaptability and favorable conditions for wild animals"

— IANS (@ians_india) October 7, 2026

Yadav said Madhya Pradesh was providing a suitable environment for wildlife conservation while stressing the need to balance conservation with human development.“Our resolve is that forests should remain thriving and human life should also progress,” he said, describing the approach as the essence of “live and let live”.
The expansion to Veerangana Durgavati comes after Kuno emerged as the centre of India’s cheetah reintroduction programme, where wildlife teams worked to adapt African cheetahs to Indian conditions and establish a breeding population.Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs brought from Namibia at Kuno National Park in Sheopur on September 17, 2022. The species had been declared extinct in India in 1952. Twelve more cheetahs arrived from South Africa in 2023.The project expanded to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in April 2025, making it the second cheetah habitat in Madhya Pradesh. With the latest release, the programme has now reached the Bundelkhand landscape.

Officials said the arrival of cheetahs is expected to strengthen wildlife conservation and boost tourism in Sagar and Bundelkhand. The development could also create new employment opportunities and support the local economy.The release ceremony was attended by Minister Govind Singh Rajput, former minister and Rehli MLA Gopal Bhargava, senior forest officials and Head of Forest Force Shubh Ranjan Sen and PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Dr Sameeta Rajoura.

(Assistant Editor)