Madhya Pradesh to Develop Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary as Third Home for Cheetahs

The Madhya Pradesh government has initiated work to develop the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary as the third home for cheetahs in the state, following Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Key Highlights:

• New Cheetah Habitat:
  
• Inspection and Site Details:
  • A team from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) inspected the site in May 2025.
  • A 30 km area across the Mohli, Jhapa, and Singpur ranges has been earmarked for cheetah habitation.
  • Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary spans a plateau across Sagar and Damoh districts in the Bundelkhand region.
• Background:
  • In 2010, Nauradehi was identified as a priority site for cheetah reintroduction.
  • The plan was dropped due to the presence of numerous villages that had yet to be relocated from within the sanctuary.
• Cheetah Reintroduction in India:
  • Cheetahs went extinct in India in 1952.
  • Project Cheetah began in September 2022, when eight cheetahs from Namibia were brought to Kuno National Park in Sheopur district, Madhya Pradesh.
  • In February 2023, another 12 cheetahs from South Africa joined them, bringing the total to 20 cheetahs in India.
• Recent Developments:
  In April 2025, two adult male cheetahs — Pawan and Prabhas — both from the South African batch, were relocated to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, which has become the second cheetah habitat in the country.