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Missing Cheetah Nirva Rescued After Eleven Days in Kuno National Park

Source:rediff ↗

Why It Matters

Relevant for MPPSC aspirants tracking major environmental milestones, national parks, and wildlife conservation projects like Project Cheetah within Madhya Pradesh.

Summary

A missing cheetah named Nirva was safely rescued following an intensive 11-day search in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, underscoring ongoing tracking and management efforts under Project Cheetah.

Key Points

  • A missing cheetah named Nirva was successfully rescued after an 11-day search operation in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
  • Nirva is part of Project Cheetah, an ambitious wildlife conservation initiative aimed at reintroducing cheetahs to India.
  • The rescue highlights the monitoring and tracking challenges involved in managing reintroduced wild carnivores in protected areas like Kuno.

Important Terms

Project Cheetah

India's pioneering intercontinental wildlife translocation program launched in 2022 to reintroduce cheetahs into the wild, primarily at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, following their extinction in 1952.

UPSC context

Important for MPPSC Paper III (Environment, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation) and current wildlife initiatives in Madhya Pradesh.

Source
Kuno National Park

A prominent protected area located in the Sheopur and Shivpuri districts of Madhya Pradesh, designated as the primary site for India's cheetah reintroduction project.

UPSC context

Crucial for MPPSC Paper I (Geography of Madhya Pradesh - National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries) and Paper III (Biodiversity).

Source

Prelims Trap

cheetah population in India after its official declaration of extinction in 1952

Aspirants often assume cheetahs were declared extinct in India in independence year or later, but the official extinction year is 1952.

Static Concepts Connected

Madhya Pradesh Geography and Wildlife

Where is Kuno National Park located and what are its key geographical features?

  • Location: Vindhyan Range, located within the Sheopur and Morena districts of Madhya Pradesh.
  • River System: Kuno River, a major tributary of the Chambal River, flows through the national park.
  • Vegetation: Northern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest, dominated by Anogeissus pendula (Kardhai) and Boswellia serrata (Salai).

Cross-Topic Patterns

  • Project Cheetah and MP Forest Corridors

    Project Cheetah's habitat requirements link directly with MP's wildlife corridors and tribal displacement policies in Sheopur and Morena districts.

  • Wildlife Act 1972 and Transcontinental Relocation

    Transcontinental carnivore reintroduction intersects with wildlife laws, specifically the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 scheduling and National Wildlife Board roles.

Project Cheetah specifics (source nations, Kuno geography, extinction year) are high-yield for MPPSC Prelims matching questions.

Linked PYQs · 3

Linked PYQs · 3

  • 2023MPPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    Which type of forests are not found in Madhya Pradesh ?

  • 2022MPPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    Which of the following National Parks is the first in India to officially introduce a mascot named "Bhoorsingh the Barasingha"?

  • 2018MPPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    Name the State Bird of Madhya Pradesh