Sheopur: KP-2, a cheetah from Kuno National Park, has crossed into Rajasthan, with its latest location traced to the Mangrol range of Baran district. A video of the cheetah walking along and briefly occupying the middle of a road has gone viral, showing vehicles halted on both sides as the animal moved calmly through the area.
The sighting caused panic among some villagers, who fled the spot, while several motorists stopped to record the rare movement. After spending some time on the road, the cheetah was seen heading towards the Moredi forest area.
Forest department officials said teams are actively monitoring KP-2's movement. They noted that this is not the first time the cheetah has ventured beyond Kuno’s boundaries. "KP-2 has earlier moved towards the Rajasthan border and later returned to Kuno. Such long-distance movement is natural behaviour as cheetahs explore new and suitable territories," an official said.
KP-2 is a cheetah born in India and is among the first cubs born under the Cheetah Reintroduction Project. He is the offspring of female cheetah Asha, who was brought from Africa and settled in Kuno National Park. About two-and-a-half years old, KP-2 has grown up in the forests of Sheopur and is now exploring an independent range.
According to the forest department, the cheetah has not hunted for the past three days and is moving through fields and forest patches along the Parvati River belt. He is being tracked continuously and monitored from a safe distance of 50 to 100 metres.
Cheetah Project Director Uttam Sharma said KP-2 is healthy and poses no threat at present. "Every movement of the cheetah is being closely monitored by the Kuno tracking team. There is no need to tranquilise him at this stage," he said.
