Cheetah Oban tranquillised, Asha still outside Kuno National Park

BHOPAL: The Protect Cheetah team successfully tranquilized cheetah Oban and brought him back to the protected Kuno National Park on Thursday, ending his five-day adventure in the surrounding villages and farmlands.
However, the female cheetah, Asha, is still out of Kuno’s protected area and has been spotted in the buffer zone for the past three days. While she appears to be enjoying her trip out, officials are monitoring her movements closely due to the presence of rival predators like leopards and hyenas.
On April 2, Oban strolled out of Kuno and went around exploring the farmlands, keeping forest officials on the tenterhooks. He dodged every attempt to be pushed back to Kuno and kept moving to different locations every day, including Vijaypur, Parvati Badonda, Nahar Shilpura, Sumed Baichai, and most recently, the forest adjacent to Bairad.
The foresters were still running after Oban when Asha decided to walk out too. The Protect Cheetah team kept a close watch on both of them to ensure their safety. Asha confined herself to the buffer zone but Oban’s adventure was beginning to cause alarm.
Officials decided to take action to protect both the cheetah and nearby residents. According to officers, there was no other option but to dart the animal to ensure its safe return. Once Oban wakes up, he will be released back into the park, said an officer, adding that the cheetahs’ moving out of Kuno wasn’t unexpected.