Cheetah Reintroduction in India

[Matias]

@Rishi 

Would like to know how the rural population feels about this introduction? Is public opinion broadly in favor of the project?

Opinions to the contrary by conservation professionals are strongly consistent with the magnitude of the challenge in establishing this first cheetah population. We know that only with 4/5 reserves India can infer on a real scale what was obtained from these periodic translocations, with some sustainability when moving these populations among themselves.

In the face of the likely translocation, there is an enormous fear among people still living on the outskirts of Kuno that they will be relocated. This is a point that does not concern me much, but for the well-being of the cheetahs, these people can also become their tormentors.

In South Africa, the lack of space and the conflict was resolved with the placement of fences, assuming all the benefits provided by the private sector (there are 69 game reserves managing a metapopulation of 500 cheetahs, an absolute success). At first these cheetahs will disperse haphazardly and in the short term many setbacks will come. Do you believe that we will have clean and periodic information about the progress of this project? As India does not intend to use fences on its reserves, it would be predictive to think that expanding habitat is a good reason to do so?

As a species, cheetahs are a biological asset of India. The Country have the right to try to bring them back, and the duty to assume the responsibilities that will come. Many professionals have not yet realized that conservation actions begin when species are still numerically stable in nature. The exposure this introduction will bring will strengthen efforts for a wide variety of habitat enhancement and expansion situations, such as trying to unite Kuno Palpur/Ranthambore/Madav.

I appreciate hearing your opinion. Reply