The grasslands and open forest areas of Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve provide a suitable habitat for cheetahs. The major prey species found here include Chital (Spotted Deer), Nilgai, Chausingha (Four-horned Antelope), Sambar Deer, Blackbuck, etc.
Medium-sized herbivores are the natural prey of cheetahs, and their availability in sufficient numbers here in their natural form makes the chances of a successful cheetah establishment in VDTR very high.
Other predatory animals also exist alongside the cheetah in Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve. Among them, Tiger, Leopard, and Wolf are the major co-predators. The presence of cheetahs, together with other apex predators such as tigers, leopards, and wolves, will further enrich the ecological balance and biodiversity here.
Apex predator, guardian of forest ecosystems
Adaptable predator, found in diverse habitats
Social predator, active in open grasslands
In general discussions, a question often arises as to how cheetahs will be able to coexist with tigers and leopards. The fact is that until about a century ago, cheetahs used to roam across vast forest areas of central India and thrived alongside predator species such as tigers, leopards, and wolves. Even a few decades before that, lions, tigers, leopards, and cheetahs used the landscape as their natural habitat without causing harm to one another. Even today, on the African continent, cheetahs are naturally found sharing the same territory with lions and leopards.
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