No deer brought in as prey for cheetahs, says MP govt as Bishnoi community stages protest
India Today
The Madhya Pradesh government has denied reports that deers from Rajasthan were brought to the Kuno National Park in the state for the new cheetahs to make a meal of.
The Madhya Pradesh government has denied reports that chital (spotted deer) from Rajasthan were brought to the Kuno National Park in the state as prey for the eight African cheetahs in their new home.
Amid great public interest in the newly acquired big cats, unconfirmed reports surfaced that chital from Rajasthan were being sent to the Kuno reserve for the cheetahs to make a meal of.
Rajasthan’s Bishnoi community also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, informing him that the chital species is on the verge of extinction in the desert state and urging him to reconsider the “senseless decision”.
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Member of the Bishnoi community also staged a sit-in protest outside the mini-secretariat in Haryana’s Fatehabad and submitted a memorandum opposing the decision to the District Collector.
Dismissing the reports, the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has issued a clarification. “No chital has been brought from Rajasthan to Madhya Pradesh because it requires the permission of the state and central government.”
“There are more than 20,000 chitals in Kuno National Park, so the news of bringing chital from outside is untrue,” the Forest Department stated.
