📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / LRBurdak
Science
Madhya Pradesh releases Botswana cheetah ‘Radha’ at Gandhi Sagar, resident count rises to four
✍️ Amar Ujala · Bhopal
🗓 20 Sep 2026, 06:00 PM
👁 9
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav named the female cheetah CCB‑2 ‘Radha’ and released her into Gandhi Sagar, bringing the park’s cheetah population to two males and two females.
The Madhya Pradesh government has intensified its cheetah reintroduction programme by releasing a female cheetah imported from Botswana. The animal, identified as CCB‑2, was officially named ‘Radha’ by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav before being set free in the Gandhi Sagar wildlife zone.
The release adds a second female to the existing pair of male cheetahs already roaming the sanctuary, bringing the total resident cheetah count to four. Officials said the move follows the earlier introduction of a male cheetah named Kuno, aimed at establishing a viable breeding population in the state.
State wildlife authorities will monitor the animals closely using GPS collars and regular field observations to assess their adaptation and health. The initiative reflects Madhya Pradesh’s broader effort to restore the endangered species, which was declared extinct in India in the 1970s.
Conservationists have welcomed the addition, noting that a balanced sex ratio improves the chances of successful reproduction and long‑term survival of the cheetah herd in the region.
The release adds a second female to the existing pair of male cheetahs already roaming the sanctuary, bringing the total resident cheetah count to four. Officials said the move follows the earlier introduction of a male cheetah named Kuno, aimed at establishing a viable breeding population in the state.
State wildlife authorities will monitor the animals closely using GPS collars and regular field observations to assess their adaptation and health. The initiative reflects Madhya Pradesh’s broader effort to restore the endangered species, which was declared extinct in India in the 1970s.
Conservationists have welcomed the addition, noting that a balanced sex ratio improves the chances of successful reproduction and long‑term survival of the cheetah herd in the region.