Cheetah Reintroduction in India

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BHOPAL: The eight Namibian cheetahs
that have made themselves at home in MP’s 
Kuno National Park will get the company of 12 more from South Africa this Valentine's Day.

The SA cheetahs - seven males and five females - come from different genetic backgrounds, sources told TOI. This has been done to prevent potential for inbreeding and ensure that a genetically diverse population is established. The SA dozen will be flown to Gwalior on February 13 and taken to Kuno on 14th on IAF helicopters.

"We have selected the best possible cheetahs for successful reintroduction into India. All 12 South African cheetahs are wild born, have grown up amongst competing predators -- including lion, leopard and hyena -- and are aware of the dangers that these competing predators present. They are predator-savvy, " 

Vincent van der Merwe, manager of the Cheetah Metapopulation Project for The Metapopulation Initiative of South Africa, told TOI.



What's more, he said, they are fully capable hunters and are accustomed to tourism vehicles, which gives them high tourism value.

Some experts are concerned that the long quarantine period these 12 cheetahs had to endure due to the delay in signing the MoU may have a negative impact. These are wild-born cheetahs that were forced to spend 8% of their lives in quarantine, losing fitness.



Asked about the effects of the long quarantine period, Van der Merwe said it has the potential to negatively impact prospects for reintroduction success. "The cheetahs would also have lost considerable fitness, condition and vigilance during this 6-month period," he said.



Plan to translocate a dozen cheetahs annually for next 8 to 10 years Van der Merwe pointed out that the chosen dozen from SA have spent six months of their 8-10-year lifespan in quarantine, waiting for government approvals for their relocation.



"The reproductive ability of the females may be compromised as fertility is reduced if females only start breeding later in life, or go through long periods without breeding. This has the potential to compromise their successful establishment in Kuno," he added.

The plan is to translocate a dozen cheetahs annually for the next eight to 10 years, say sources.


"Restoring the cheetah population is a priority for India and it will have vital and far-reaching conservation consequences, which would aim to achieve a number of ecological objectives, including re-establishing the role of cheetah within their historical range in India and enhancing the livelihood options and economies of the local communities," says an official release. "The initiative to reintroduce cheetah to a former range state following the local extinction of this iconic species due to overhunting and loss of habitat in the last century is being carried out following the request received from the Government of India," a release by the ministry of forests and environment reads. This multi-disciplinary international programme is being coordinated by the department of forestry, fisheries and environment (DFFE) in collaboration with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), South African National Parks (SANParks), the Cheetah Range Expansion Project, and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) in South Africa together with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). The MoU facilitates cooperation between the parties to establish a viable and secure cheetah population in India, promote conservation and ensure that expertise is shared and exchanged, and capacity built to promote cheetah conservation.

This includes human-wildlife conflict resolution, capture and translocation of wildlife and community participation in conservation in the two countries. In terms of the MoU, the countries will collaborate and exchange best practices in large carnivore conservation through the transfer of technology, training of professionals in management, policy, and science, and to establish a bilateral custodianship arrangement for cheetah translocated between the two countries.

The terms of the MoU will be reviewed every five years to ensure it remains relevant. 



https://m.timesofindia.com/city/bhopal/12-south-african-cheetahs-to-arrive-in-kuno-on-valentines-day/amp_articleshow/97387884.cms?fbclid=IwAR0ZDmgGbv9dsULeEPpnxspAd0vBh_nMfcdOHC9FwyVF2eYMdY9QOMipR_o&mibextid=tejx2t



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