Glimpses from Kuno! Video shows Cheetahs Agni and Vayu after hunting; cubs resting
Union minister Bhupender Yadav on Friday shared two videos on X, highlighting the progress of cheetah conservation efforts at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
In one of the clips, two adult male cheetahs, Agni and Vayu, can be seen leisurely roaming the grasslands after a successful hunt -- relaxed and well-fed.
These cheetahs, originally translocated from South Africa in February 2023, were released into the open forest across the Kuno River in December 2024, coinciding with International Cheetah Day.
— byadavbjp (@byadavbjp)
Before their release into the Palpur East region, the two spent over a year in protective enclosures.
The second video features the male cubs of cheetah Aasha, resting calmly in the wild after their own hunt—another milestone in the ambitious Project Cheetah.
Born in December 2023, the cubs are now just over a year old. Their father, Pawan (also known as Oban), was one of the first cheetahs introduced to Kuno but sadly died in August 2023.
The release of Aasha's cubs into the open forest is being seen as a positive step toward rewilding and sustaining the cheetah population in India.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav had earlier welcomed the move, saying it not only strengthens the state's wildlife population but also adds momentum to tourism in the region.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Indian Express
A mountain of rice, but no more space to keep it: Punjab faces a familiar storage crisis
With the paddy season in full swing in Punjab and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asking the Centre to advance the official paddy procurement season by a fortnight this time, concerns are mounting due to a shortage of storage space for grains in the state. Mann requested that the Centre start the paddy procurement season on September 15 instead of October 1. He said this was necessary as Punjab farmers have advanced their paddy sowing to tackle issues of high moisture content and to prevent stubble burning, which contributes to air pollution in Delhi. Punjab is currently experiencing a shortage of storage space. As new stocks of paddy begin to arrive, the government may encounter significant challenges similar to those faced last year, when paddy was not collected due to inadequate storage facilities. The state has a storage facility of 220 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) in covered and open plinths, which is currently completely full. Every year, 250 lakh tonnes of wheat and rice are received. Since existing storage space is full, the fresh stocks that come every year can now be accommodated only if there is adequate movement of the already stored stock. Punjab's paddy arrival is 180 to 190 LMT and only 66 per cent of rice is received after milling, which amounts to around 120 LMT. After procurement, paddy is sent directly to the mills. After that, it is milled, and the rice thus received is stored in covered spaces. Only 7-8 LMT of rice moves out of the state on average every month, as many of the consumer states say they do not have enough requirement for rice. Hence, 20-30 LMT rice does not move out of the state every year. This backlog has led to zero storage space, say sources. The state is expected to start storing around 120 LMT of rice by the end of this paddy season, while it has space available for only 25 to 30 LMT. To make room for the additional 100 LMT, the state needs a regular movement of 10–12 LMT per month to ensure at least 40 LMT of available space by December. The movement is averaging only 6.67 LMT per month for the last 12 months. CM Mann's meeting with Union minister Pralhad Joshi not fruitful CM Mann sought the intervention of Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi two weeks ago to expedite the movement of rice to prevent a crisis for the state government. He highlighted the persistent shortage of covered space in the state over the past two years. He said that during the last paddy season, the space shortage also led to the extension of the delivery period for milled rice up to September 30, 2024. This caused concern among millers, and they were reluctant to lift and store paddy, even though the issue was later resolved. CM Mann said for the Kharif marketing season 2024-25, out of the 117 LMT rice to be delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), only around 107 LMT had been delivered by June 30, 2025, with 10 LMT still pending. He said only 80 LMT of rice had been moved out of the state in the last 12 months, averaging 6.67 LMT per month. Mann said the FCI had planned to move 14 LMT in June 2025, but only 8.5 LMT was actually lifted. CM Mann stressed the need for the movement of at least 15 LMT of rice in July to complete milling by the end of the month. He told the Union minister that delays may trigger unrest among millers and hinder paddy procurement for KMS 2025–26. Considering the storage crunch, Mann requested continued allocation of rice to bio-ethanol manufacturing units at reasonable prices, liberal lifting under Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS), rice exports, and other channels. Sources, however, said that the meeting was not fruitful. There has been no marked difference in lifting and it has not been expedited yet. To optimise storage, CM Mann urged the Union minister to adopt a proactive approach to identifying, approving, and hiring covered godowns. Mann said a strategy of converting covered godowns of wheat to rice needs to be implemented. He said this strategy could free up 7 LMT of capacity for rice storage in KMS 2025–26, adding that this model could be adopted nationwide to mitigate space shortages.
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Tiger count doubles in Chhattisgarh's Achanakmar reserve, report says conditions ripe for more growth
New Delhi: The number of tigers is on the rise in Chhattisgarh's Achanakmar Tiger Reserve, with 10 resident big cats photographed in 2024 compared to five in 2017, a new report by World Wildlife Fund India and the state forest department has revealed. Population density of the tigers' prey, wild ungulate, has also shown an upward trend.(Pixabay/Representative image) The reserve now has multiple breeding-age tigers with a a healthy sex ratio for the first time in 15 years, , said the report released on Tuesday. Three tigers and seven tigresses were photographed last year. In 2017, the reserve had four tigers and just one tigress, it noted. 'Conditions appear to be ripe for the population to grow steadily,' it said. Also read | Gujarat's Banni grasslands readying for translocation of cheetahs 'The population status and trend of tigers and prey in ATR (Achanakmar Tiger Reserve) were assessed using camera trap data from the 2017 to 2024, and line transect data from 2019 and 2024. There is evidence for progressive recovery of the tiger population over this period, with 10 resident tigers being photo-captured in 2024, relative to 5 in 2017,' the report said. 'Line transect data' here refers to a technique that involves walking or moving along a line to count the animals. More prey available too The population density of the tigers' prey, the wild ungulate, has also shown an upward trend between 2019 and 2024, according to the analysis. 'Ungulate densities were highest in the Achanakmar and Chhaparwa ranges, which coincide with areas that have been constantly used by multiple tigers over the study period. Conversely, other ranges like Lamni and Surahi were associated with lower prey densities and tiger presence, suggesting potential for future recovery efforts,' the report said. Radio collars and other recommendations WWF India has recommended radio-collaring of tigers as per existing protocol and gain insights about the foraging ecology and habitat use. Focus should be on breeding females and dispersal-age animals, it said. 'The tiger reserve and corridors comprise large areas recognised as Community Forest Resources Rights (CFRR) under the FRA, 2006. The Forest Department, NGOs, and community institutes in key villages must collaborate to promote conservation through co-management of these areas,' the report recommended. It emphasised the crucial role of the Kanha-Achanakmar and Bandhavgarh-Achanakmar corridors in enabling tiger population recovery in the area. It further stressed the need for sustained and adaptive management practices, effective protection measures, and active community participation in conservation. Move to restore habitat In a separate event, on the occasion of Global Tiger Day, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav announced the launch of a nationwide tree plantation drive, where over 1 lakh saplings will be planted across all 58 tiger reserves. As part of this initiative, authorities of each tiger reserve are to plant 2,000 saplings of indigenous plant species in degraded areas to promote habitat restoration. The event included the inauguration of forest nurseries at three locations in the Aravalli landscape.
Deccan Herald
a day ago
- Deccan Herald
DRFO Gururaj Gouda honoured for village relocation efforts
The certification was presented by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Bhupendrer Yadav in New Delhi on Tuesday as part of the International Tiger Day celebrations.
