- GPS stops selling signals
Bhopal: After 36 hours, efforts to locate the fleeing female cheetah, Veera, from Kuno National Park in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh continues. The dedicated team closely monitored the big cat until late Monday night, when the GPS device ceased sending signals.
Forest officials reported on Tuesday that Veera was last seen in Veerpur village, prompting alerts to residents in the area. The forest rangers have initiated a ground search to trace Veera’s whereabouts.
A ranger at Kuno mentioned that the device abruptly stopped transmitting Veera’s location on the same day. Until late Monday night, the cheetah was situated in Veerpur village, having briefly strayed to the Morena border on Sunday before returning to Kuno.
The ranger explained that the current radio signal device strength is only 1.5 km, making tracking more challenging compared to a 5 km range.
Despite the sense of panic among locals as Veera roams around villages, forest officials are reassuring villagers that cheetahs do not pose a threat to humans.
Only two cheetahs roam freely in wild
Currently, only two cheetahs roam freely in the open jungles of Kuno, while 13 adult cheetahs remain in enclosures, awaiting release. Last year, 20 cheetahs were translocated to Kuno from Namibia and South Africa, with seven fatalities and three cubs.
The prospect of releasing more cheetahs into the open range awaits approval from the Cheetah Steering Committee, with Kuno officials anticipating further releases in the coming days.
