Madhya Pradesh pauses cheetah corridor project for these reasons
Madhya Pradesh has put its massive cheetah corridor project—meant to link 10 districts in the state with seven in Rajasthan—on hold for now.
Officials say they want to make sure cheetahs are thriving at Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary before letting them roam even further.
The big idea was to help cheetahs move freely between states, but conservation comes first.
What is the status of cheetahs now?
Since late 2022, India brought in 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno.
Some have wandered into Rajasthan but get tracked and sent back quickly. Right now, two are living at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary.
Madhya Pradesh says the corridor will only move forward when there are more cheetahs than the sanctuaries can handle.
Rajasthan is eager to get started on the project
Rajasthan is eager for the project—they've been waiting for MP to sign off so both states can team up officially, but things are stalled without that green light.
Meanwhile, a planned highway through Kuno National Park is also paused until animal-friendly crossings are built, showing how wildlife safety is shaping big decisions here.