Jaipur, March 27: A cheetah has strayed from Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park and entered Rajasthan, causing panic among residents in the Peepalda Sammel village of Sultanpur area in Kota district.
The cheetah, identified as KP-2, was spotted on Friday traversing through fields and residential areas, prompting villagers to stay indoors for safety. Farmers who first encountered the animal alerted the forest department and local police.
Videos capturing the cheetah’s movements have been recorded and shared with authorities. The Rajasthan and Kuno National Park forest teams are monitoring the cheetah around the clock. Officials reported that the cheetah has been seen resting under trees and cautiously moving through fields and residential areas.
Authorities have urged residents to remain vigilant but not to panic, assuring them that cheetahs typically do not attack humans. They noted that the proximity of Kuno National Park to the state border is causing KP-2 and another cheetah, KP-3, to frequently enter Rajasthan.
Kuno teams are coordinating with Rajasthan’s forest officials for continuous monitoring. KP-3 has been frequently spotted in the Mangrol range of Baran district, roaming the area for over three weeks. Both KP-2 and KP-3 are approximately 2.5 years old and are offspring of ‘Asha,’ an African cheetah introduced to Kuno.
Experts believe their movement reflects a natural dispersal process as young cheetahs explore new territories and establish their own ranges. Reports of cheetah sightings have also emerged from the Bijapur area of Morena district in Madhya Pradesh, indicating a significant roaming range near Rajasthan’s border.
Earlier in mid-March, KP-2, which had strayed from Kuno National Park and roamed Baran for 45 days, entered Kota and was reportedly seen in wheat fields. Upon receiving the information, a regional forest department team began monitoring the situation, while another Kuno team maintained round-the-clock surveillance. When the large animal entered the villages of Lakshmipura and Luhawad under the jurisdiction of Ayana police station, a large crowd gathered.
Tehsildar Vishwanath Pratap Naruka and the Station House Officer (SHO) arrived at the scene to disperse the crowd. Once the path was clear, the cheetah exited the area. Meanwhile, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has noted the recent activities of the two wandering cheetahs from Kuno National Park into Rajasthan, labeling it as natural behavior.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
