Cheetah Reintroduction in India

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What delayed the introduction of African Cheetah into Indian reserves?

Aside from the numerous tragedies caused by the second wave of Covid- 19 in India, another victim appears to be the ambitious wildlife project to introduce African Cheetahs into the Kuno Palpur reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Originally slated for August 15, this project has been delayed by at least three months. A decision to defer the arrival of the big cats was taken at a meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in Delhi recently.

Till about mid-April, the Madhya Pradesh forest department had been working overtime to get Cheetahs from Africa to Kuno Palpur by August 15. A success on this front would have been a feather in the state forest department’s cap. Dr Vincent van der Merve, Cheetah Meta-population coordinator of the Endangered Wildlife Trust in South Africa, had made a trip to Kuno Palpur in late April along with Dr Y.V. Jhala of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). The expert studied the habitat and found it suitable for the introduction of Cheetahs from Africa. 

While the exact number of Cheetahs to be brought from South Africa has not been decided, wildlife managers in MP are keen that at least 8 specimens—including 5 males and 3 females—be brought in. An enclosure measuring six square kilometres is to be set up at Kuno. The animals would be released into this enclosure for the time being. Later, the males would be released into the wild before the females. While the Cheetahs to come to India will be donated by the South African group, the cost of transportation is to be borne by India. A budget of Rs 14 crore has been allocated for this purpose. 

After the field visit by the South African expert, a meeting was convened by the NTCA on April 30, at which it was decided to delay the arrival of the Cheetahs by a few months owing to the pandemic. Officials felt that a visit to South Africa and then getting the animals to India and transporting them to the reserve by road during the pandemic would be problematic. 

As per the new timeline prepared by the NTCA, the Cheetahs will be brought into India by November. As per the timeline, the MP forest department has been asked to complete the preliminary work of fencing to create the enclosure by August, while all permissions from CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), import reserve letters and custom permits are to be made ready by July. The specimens to be brought to India are to be captured by October.

The Kuno Palpur reserve, a national park spread of 749 square kilometres, has been chosen as the first site for the introduction of Cheetahs. Subsequently, more sites in MP and Rajasthan that have shown potential can be added. 

Conceived in 2009, the plan to introduce the African Cheetah in India was put on hold after the Supreme Court stayed the plan. After the case was revisited, Cheetah introduction was cleared by the Supreme Court in January 2020. A three-member committee, comprising wildlife expert M.K. Ranjitsinh, DG Wildlife Institute of India, Dhananjai Mohan and DIG Wildlife has been constituted by the apex court to oversee the introduction of the African Cheetah in India.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/what-delayed-the-introduction-of-african-cheetah-into-indian-reserves-1807700-2021-05-27 Reply