Project Cheetah: Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary to be new home for African felines

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

Officials plan to shift some African cheetahs from Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh to the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary located on the northern border of Mandsaur and Nimach districts, in the same state.

Details:

The plan involves identifying newer habitats for cheetahs.
The relocation of new cheetahs would be undertaken in strict accordance with the Cheetah Action Plan.
Earlier this year in May, the Supreme Court had asked the central government to distribute cheetahs over a wider geographic range after noting that three cheetahs had died within a span of 45 days.

About cheetah:

Sr. No.	Parameter	African Cheetah	Asiatic Cheetah
1.	IUCN status	Vulnerable	Critically Endangered.
2.	CITES status	Appendix-I of the List. This List comprises of migratory species that have been assessed as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range.	Appendix-I of the List.
3.	Habitat	Around 6,500-7,000 African cheetahs are present in the wild.	40-50 found only in Iran.
4.	Physical Characteristics	Bigger in size as compared to Asiatic Cheetah.	Smaller and paler than the African cheetah. Has more fur, a smaller head and a longer neck. Usually have red eyes and they have a more cat-like appearance.
5.	Image

Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary:

Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary situated on the northern boundary of Mandsaur and Nimach districts in Madhya Pradesh, India.
It is spread over an area of 368.62 km2 (142.32 sq mi) adjoining Rajasthan state in India.
It was notified in 1974 and more area was added in 1983.
The Chambal River passes through the sanctuary dividing it into two parts.
The western part is in Nimach district and eastern part is in Mandsaur district.
It is in the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.

Flora and Fauna:

The Sanctuary has a varied terrain of wooded hills – the forest being dry, mixed and deciduous- and flat grasslands around Gandhi sagar dam submergence.
- The principal tree species found in the Sanctuary are Khair (Acacia catechu), Salai, Kardhai, Dhawda, Tendu, Palash etc.
The predominant animal species are the deer, of which the most easily sighted are the chinkara or Indian gazelle, Nilgai and sambar.
- In addition the Indian leopard, langur, Indian wild dog, peacock, otter, and Mugger crocodile are present.

Kuno National Park:

Kuno National Park is a national park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, India.
It derives its name from the Kuno River. It was established in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary with an initial area of 344.686 km2 (133.084 sq mi) in the Sheopur and Morena districts.
In 2018, it was given the status of a national park. It is part of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.