BHOPAL: 5-year-old Oban - one of the 8 Namibian cheetahs - has once again slipped out of Kuno National Park (KNP) and was spotted in neighbouring Shivpuri forest division around 15 km from his habitat.
The male cheetah has left cages for the second time in the past two weeks, according to KNP forest officials. The last time, Oban was tranquillized and brought back to KNP from a nearby farm after five days of work by forest officials.
Last time, Oban had moved out of KNP on April 2 and was brought back on April 6.
This time, it went considerably further, which made the forest officers in charge of making sure he was safe on high alert. Since Sunday, Oban has left the KNP's 748 sq km core region and its surrounding 487 sq km buffer zone and is now in the Shivpuri forest division, according to a forest official.
The process of tranquillizing him could be harmful to his health, said forest officials, so they decided not to do it this time. Authorities have noted that cheetahs in Namibia appear to favour flooded plains and river basins over deep wooded forests.
Prior to leaving the KNP protected area on Saturday night, Oban was seen relaxing in the cool river valleys or in the cover of trees last week. The following morning, he was discovered around 15 miles outside of the protected area.
The authorities contend that neither Oban nor people are in any danger from the other. Therefore, tranquillizers won't be required to revive it. They claimed that Oban's movements are being tracked to find out where he is.
