Wikipedia

Cheetah reintroduction in India

Cheetah reintroduction in India is a programme initiated by Government of India to re-introduce cheetahs to India after they became locally extinct more than 70 years ago. The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) whose range once included most of India were driven to extinction locally with the last known sightings recorded in early 1950s.

After the cheetahs became locally extinct, various studies were done and multiple plans have been made to re-introduce cheetahs back into the wild. This included initial plans to re-introduce the asiatic cheetah from Iran in the 1970s which were shelved due to political instability in Iran and the dwindling population of the species in the existent range. Since the late 1980s, further plans were made to introduce members of related sub-species Southeast African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus). In 2022, as a part of Project Cheetah, cheetahs flown in from Namibia and South Africa were introduced to Kuno National Park in India.

Background edit

 
Hunting of blackbuck with Indian cheetah; Drawing by James Forbes, Oriental Memoirs, c.1812

The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) once ranged from the north western India to the Gangetic plain on the east, extending to the Deccan Plateau in the south.[1][2] In the Middle Ages, Mughal rulers supposedly used cheetahs for coursing blackbucks, chinkaras and antelopes.[3][4] Trapping of sub-adult cheetahs that have learned hunting skills from wild mothers, for assisting in royal hunts is said to be the major cause of the species' rapid decline. [5][6] Trophy hunting during the British Raj further impacted the already dwindling population of Cheetahs.[7] Cheetahs rarely breed in captivity as there is only one record of a litter ever born to captive animals.[8]

By the beginning of the 20th century, wild cheetah sightings were rare in India, so much so that between 1918 and 1945, Indian princes imported cheetahs from Africa for coursing. The last confirmed three cheetahs were shot by Maharajah of Surguja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo in 1948.[9] The last known sighting was that of a female in 1951 in Koriya district in northwestern Chhattisgarh.[5] With the death of the last known population and no further sightings, the species was declared locally extinct in 1952.[10]

Re-introduction plans edit

In 1955, the State Wildlife Board of Andhra Pradesh suggested the reintroduction of the Asiatic cheetah on an experimental basis in two districts of the state.[11] In the 1970s, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Government of India formally wrote to the Iranian government requesting Asiatic cheetahs for reintroduction and received a positive response. The talks stalled after the Iranian Revolution.[12] In 1984, wildlife conservationist Divyabhanusinh wrote a paper on the subject on the request of Ministry of Environment and Forests, which was subsequently sent to the Cat Specialist Group of Species Survival Commission of the IUCN. In the late 1908s, Government of Kenya reportedly offered to send a few members of related sub-species Southeast African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus).[13]

During the early 2000s, scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, proposed a plan to clone Asiatic cheetahs from Iran.[14] In August 2009, talks were rekindled with Iran for sharing a few of the animals. The dwindling population of the species in the existent range made Iran hesitant to commit to the idea.[15] Iran proposed that Asiatic lions which are existent only in India be given in exchange for cheetahs for which India refused and the plan to source cheetahs from Iran was eventually dropped in 2010.[10][13]

Project Cheetah edit

Project formulation edit

In September 2009, a cheetah reintroduction workshop was organized by the Government of India with scientists and experts from Wildlife Institute of India and Cheetah Conservation Fund among others.[16][17] Stephen J. O'Brien of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity of National Cancer Institute of the United States, said that according to the latest genetic studies, the Asiatic cheetah was, in fact, genetically identical to the African cheetah with which it had separated only 5,000 years ago and this was not enough time for a subspecies level differentiation.[18] The experts argued for the introduction of the Southeast African cheetah as the Asiatic cheetah survives only in Iran, its population numbers less than 100 individuals, and the Iranian government's repeated reluctance to supply said cheetahs for Indian efforts.[19] The meeting identified Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, and the UAE as countries from where the cheetah could be imported to India.[20] Another working group, which was formed for exploring sourcing and translocation of the cheetah suggested that five to ten animals annually have to be brought to India over a period of five to ten years to create a viable population.[10][16]

In late 2009, as a part of Project Cheetah, the Ministry of Environment and Forests approved a detailed survey of seven potential reintroduction sites and three holding sites for captive breeding across four states Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.[13][17] The survey shortlisted three regions as having a potential to support cheetah populations.[21][22] These included Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh and the Shahgarh landscape in Rajasthan.[23] As per the report, Kuno-Palpur which had hosted all the four big cats that existed earlier including the tiger, leopard, lion, and cheetah before they were wiped out, in part or in whole and Nauradehi which is part of a larger open grassland landscape can host cheetahs. As Shahgarh was located near the Indo-Pakistani border, the report said that fencing would be required to ensure adequate protection for the cheetah population.[24][25]

Legal troubles and clearance edit

In May 2012, the Supreme Court of India put the project of importing cheetahs from Africa and reintroducing them in India on hold after a petition was filed against the same.[26] In the petition, it was argued that Kuno, the proposed location for the re-introduction was prepared for reintroduction of native lions from Gir National Park and introducing cheetahs will be used as a pretext to delay the lion re-introduction project. It was also argued that the reintroduction of African cheetah has not been placed before the Standing Committee of India's National Board for Wildlife and that the scientific studies show the African cheetahs to be genetically different from Asian Cheetahs which is against the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines on translocation of wildlife species.[27]

On 28 January 2020, the Supreme Court allowed the central government to proceed with the introduction of Southern African cheetahs to a suitable habitat in India as part of a trial, in response to an application filed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) seeking permission to introduce Southern African cheetahs from Namibia. The Supreme Court set up a three-member committee to guide the NTCA and asked the committee to submit a progress report every four months.[28][29] Subsequently, a scientific assessment of all potential reintroduction sites was conducted to understand the habitat conditions, prey species availability, protection status and other ecological criteria for shortlisting initial introduction site with a detailed scientific action plan published in January 2022.[30] In August 2022, the Union minister of Environment stated that African cheetahs would be reintroduced from Namibia to Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in September and that the Indian Government was also attempting to translocate another 12 cheetahs from South Africa.[31][32]

Re-introduction edit

On 17 September 2022, eight cheetahs including five females and three males arrived at Kuno National Park.[33][34] In November 2022, the cheetahs were shifted to a larger enclosure for further adaption after their mandatory quarantine period.[35][36] In January 2023, South Africa signed an agreement with India and a first batch of 12 cheetahs arrived in February 2023. The agreement between both countries involved South Africa relocating a further 12 cheetahs every year for the next 8 to 10 years.[37]

 
A Southeast African cheetah in Kuno National Park

On 11 March 2023, a male and a female were released together into the wild and were confirmed to have successfully hunted prey in the park.[38][39] Further cheetahs were released into the wild in steps and the released animals were tracked by radio collars.[40][41] One of the released cheetahs, gave birth to four cubs on March 24, the first recorded live cheetah births in over 70 years.[42] Later in the month, a female died due to kidney complications.[43]

On April 2, a male cheetah escaped from the boundaries of the park before being captured in a village 20 km (12 mi) from the park.[44][45] On April 24, another cheetah death was reported reportedly due to heart failure and on May 9, a female was killed during a fight with a male cheetah during mating.[46][47][48] As the park did not have an adequate amount of space for the growing number of felines, the Supreme Court ordered the government to look for an alternative site to augment the existing facility.[49][50] In May, three more animals were released into the wild.[51] Following the death of three cheetah cubs, the Central government appointed a high-level steering committee, comprising national and international experts, to oversee the implementation on May 25.[52] South African wildlife expert Vincent van der Merwe clarified that recent cheetah deaths does not mean that the Project Cheetah is failing, as similar mortalities have been reported in African reintroduction and 50 percent mortality rate is expected in the first year.[53]

By January 2024, three more deaths were recorded pushing the count of dead animals to ten since the start of the project.[54][55][56] Three cubs were born in January and a further six cubs were born in March 2024, raising the total number of cheetahs in the national park to 27.[57][58]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Nowell, K. & Jackson, P. (1996). "Asiatic cheetah" (PDF). Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. pp. 41–44. ISBN 978-2-8317-0045-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 August 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  2. ^ Pocock, R. I. (1939). "Acinonyx jubatus". The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Vol. Mammalia. – Volume 1. London: Taylor and Francis Ltd. pp. 324–330.
  3. ^ Sayan LODH, Presidency University, India (December 2020). "Portrayal of 'Hunting' in Environmental History of India". Altralang. 02 (2). Oran, Algeria: University of Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed.: 193. ISSN 2710-8619. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Thapar, V.; Thapar, R.; Ansari, Y. (2013). Exotic Aliens: The Lion and the Cheetah in India. New Delhi: Aleph Book Company.
  5. ^ a b Divyabhanusinh, Chavda (1999). The End of a Trail: the Cheetah in India. New Delhi: Banyan Books. ISBN 978-8-195-58781-0.
  6. ^ "India plans to reintroduce cheetahs: All you need to know about the vulnerable species". MoneyControl. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  7. ^ Niraj Rai; Sunil Kumar Verma; Ajay Gaur; Florin Mircea Iliescu; Mukesh Thakur; Tirupathi Rao Golla; Kailash Chandra; Satya Prakash; Wajeeda Tabasum; Sreenivas Ara; Lalji Singh; Kumarasamy Thangaraj; Guy S. Jacobs (March 2020). "Ancient mtDNA from the extinct Indian cheetah supports unexpectedly deep divergence from African cheetahs". Scientific Reports. 10 (1). Nature: 4618. Bibcode:2020NatSR..10.4618R. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-60751-7. PMC 7067882. PMID 32165662. Retrieved 1 August 2022. Project: Wildlife Forensic and Conservation of animals in India
  8. ^ Nelson, Dean (8 July 2009). "India to reintroduce cheetah 60 years after 'extinction'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  9. ^ Lee, Kenneth (3 April 2001). "Can cloning save endangered species?". Current Biology. 11 (7): R245–R246. doi:10.1016/S0960-9822(01)00126-9. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 11413007. S2CID 967990.
  10. ^ a b c Dey, A. (16 July 2009). "Rajasthan to be home for cheetahs". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Explained: How cheetahs went extinct in India, and the plan to reintroduce them into the wild". The Indian Express. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Reclaiming the Grassland for the Cheetah". BBC. 20 September 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Reclaiming the Grassland for the Cheetah (PDF) (Report). Center for the Advanced Study of India. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  14. ^ Bagla, Pallava (28 January 2003). "CCMB's Iran hope for Asiatic cheetah". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  15. ^ Lamont, James (5 August 2009). "India tries cheetah diplomacy on Iran". FT. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Workshop on cheetah relocation begins, views differ". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 9 September 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  17. ^ a b Sebastian, Sunny (20 September 2009). "India joins the race to save Cheetahs". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Experts eye African cheetahs for reintroduction, to submit plan". IANS. 10 September 2009. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  19. ^ Marker, Laurie (24 April 2018). "Cheetah reintroduction in India is a project worth revisiting". Down to Earth. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  20. ^ Ravindran, Shruti (5 October 2009). "Spotted: Lean Cat Rerun". Outlook. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  21. ^ "Three Sites Recommended for Reintroduction of Cheetah" (Press release). Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  22. ^ "Rajasthan to be home for cheetahs". The Times of India. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
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  24. ^ Assessing the potential for reintroducing the cheetah in India (PDF). Wildlife Trust of India (Report). 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  25. ^ A report on the feasibility of cheetah reintroduction in India (PDF). Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) (Report). 2010.
  26. ^ "SC stays Cheetah Re-introduction Project". Deccan Herald. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  27. ^ "Supreme Court stalls Centre's plan to reintroduce cheetahs in India". Down To Earth. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  28. ^ "Supreme Court allows Centre to bring African cheetah to suitable wildlife habitat in India". The Hindu. Indo-Asian News Service. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  29. ^ "Court paves way for African cheetahs to be shipped to India". Agence France-Presse. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
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  31. ^ Roy, Esha (20 August 2022). "Cheetahs from Namibia set to reach in Sept: Union Minister Bhupender Yadav". The Indian Express. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  32. ^ Nandi, Jayashree (28 August 2022). "Not rejected any of the 8 cheetahs to be translocated from Namibia, says Centre". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  33. ^ "India Gets Cheetahs Again After 70 Years: 10 Points". NDTV. 17 September 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  34. ^ Noronha, Rahul (7 November 2022). "African cheetahs at Kuno National Park kill cheetal, make history". India Today. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  35. ^ "'Great news': PM Modi tweets as two cheetahs shift to bigger enclosure at Kuno National Park". The Indian Express. 6 November 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  36. ^ "Two female cheetahs pass quarantine, join three males in Kuno enclosure". Hindustan Times. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  37. ^ Goodwin, Allegra (27 January 2023). "South Africa to send dozens of cheetahs to India under new deal". CNN. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  38. ^ Naveen, P. (11 March 2023). "India's first cheetah couple released into the wild of Kuno National Park". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  39. ^ Naveen, P. (13 March 2023). "India's first cheetah couple released in wild in Kuno". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  40. ^ "2 More Namibian Cheetahs Released Into Wild At Kuno National Park". NDTV. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  41. ^ "2 Namibian cheetahs first to be released into the wild in Kuno". The Indian Express. 12 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  42. ^ Gillett, Francesca (29 March 2023). "First cheetah cubs born in India since extinction 70 years ago". BBC News. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  43. ^ Subramaniam, Tara; Suri, Manveena (28 March 2023). "A cheetah relocated from Namibia to India as part of conservation efforts has died". CNN. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  44. ^ "Cheetah 'Oban' escapes, strays into village 20 km from Kuno; teams deployed to bring it back". Downtoearth. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  45. ^ "Cheetah Ventures Out of Kuno, Authorities Bring It Back". The Wire. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  46. ^ "Second African cheetah dies in India's Kuno National Park". Aljazeera. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  47. ^ "Cheetah in India died of cardiac failure". BBC News. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  48. ^ "Female Cheetah 'Daksha' dies in Kuno National Park". Mint. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  49. ^ "Inadequate space for cheetahs at KNP, says ex-WII official". The Tribune. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  50. ^ "SC concerned over death of cheetahs at KNP, ask Centre to consider shifting them to Rajasthan". The Indian Express. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  51. ^ "Three more cheetahs released into wild at MP's Kuno National Park; count rises to six". India Today. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  52. ^ "New committee set up to oversee cheetah project". The Hindu. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  53. ^ "India's Cheetah reintroduction project is going to see even higher mortalities: South African expert". Mathrubhumi. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  54. ^ Shruti Tomar (3 August 2023). "Another cheetah dies at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  55. ^ "Ninth Cheetah in Kuno Died Due to Maggot Infection". The Wire. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  56. ^ "10th Cheetah Dies At Kuno National Park In Madhya Pradesh". NDTV. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  57. ^ "Three cubs born to Namibian cheetah at Kuno National Park". The Hindu. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  58. ^ "Cheetah Gamini gives birth to five cubs at MP's Kuno National Park; big cat count rises to 26". The Economic Times. 10 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
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