Cheetah Reintroduction in India

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Assessment of cheetah introduction sites and proposed actions- Technical note 

  1. Introduction

In consequence of the Hon. Supreme Court direction on introduction of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in India, meetings were held by the Expert Committee appointed by Hon. Supreme Court on this matter on 06 March 2020 and 30 September 2020 to decide on the future course of action. The committee decided that the rapid reassessment of all sites found suitable during the assessment conducted in 2010 (Ranjitsinh & Jhala 2010), along with assessment of those proposed newly by the States would be carried out by WII. As proposed by the State Governments of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, a site visit was undertaken to 1) Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve, 2) Shergarh Wildlife Sanctuary, in Rajasthan and, 3) Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, 4) Kuno National Park, 5) Madhav National Park and 6) Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh for a preliminary assessment as potential sites for cheetah reintroduction. Based on this assessment the following report lists further in-depth surveys for prey, habitat, and anthropogenic pressures at some of these sites as well as management actions that are required to prepare them for the introduction of the cheetah. Cheetah introduction at these sites would be contingent on completion of these tasks mentioned herein, and can be achieved at some sites as early as late 2021. Completing the proposed management actions could be decided by the States based on investment required and site priorities.  

    1. Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve 

 A rapid site assessment was conducted (22nd- 23rd Nov 2020) to understand relative abundance of prey, quality of habitat and identify issues concerning park management related to cheetah introduction. A total of ~120 km (29 km within the 80 km2 enclosure) (Figure 1b) were covered using a slow-moving vehicle to obtain encounter rates and densities of prey species viz. chital, sambar, nilgai, wild pig, chinkara, black buck and cattle (Tables 1 & 2). To calculate prey densities, the effective strip widths obtained from distance sampling conducted in Kuno during 2014 were used, as both areas have similar terrain and vegetation composition. Overall, the TR is under high pressure from livestock grazing, both cattle and goats heavily graze most of the TR. Parts that had lower livestock pressure had populations of wild ungulates like chital and chinkara but below any quantifiable density. A few blackbuck were seen within the fenced enclosure.   

Due to the human use and grazing pressures from villages within the TR as well as from the neighboring areas, and very low prey base the TR is not currently ready for reintroduction of the cheetah. However, there is excellent habitat recovery within the Predator Enclosure. The habitat has a mosaic of grasslands, savannah, dry deciduous forests and riverine evergreen patches with good water availability forming an ideal habitat for the cheetah. The prey base within the enclosure is recovering (but currently scanty) and this part of the TR has the potential to be considered further in the short-term for cheetah reintroduction. A major management activity that has to be commenced immediately is prey augmentation within the enclosure (as detailed below) and outside the enclosure. The villages within the TR need to be relocated in the long-term and the highways passing through the TR need to have appropriate mitigation for animal passage ways with speed regulation. Based on observations regarding habitat and interactions with park management the actions required to be undertaken immediately are listed below-   

1. Prey assessment - An in-depth assessment of prey base within the enclosure (Area- 80 km2) by Wildlife Institute of India during January-February 2021 

2. Prey augmentation - A minimum of 200 blackbuck, 150 chinkara, and 350 chital need to be translocated into the Enclosure. On an average cheetah family/coalition are expected to make a kill every 3-4 days. Considering finite growth rate of ungulates to be ~1.33 (Jhala et al., in press), a population of about 350 ungulates are required for a cheetah coalition family.  

3. Enclosure reinforcement - Reinforcement of the enclosure is required to make it dog proof especially at water drainage sites.  

4. Increase the area of the enclosure - The predator enclosure can and should be extended into the Jhalawar part of the TR (Figure 1b) since this is good grassland habitat for the cheetah. Habitat recovery and control of human impacts in this highly disturbed TR can best be achieved by fencing. This additional 50-60 km2 can be added (Total area- 150 km2) to increase the carrying capacity of the enclosure for ~3 breeding units of cheetah.  

With the above intervention, the enclosure within Mukundara Hills TR will be able to hold cheetah in the short-term as a staging area. Cheetah could be brought and released within the enclosure to acclimatize them to Indian conditions (climate and prey) before being released at suitable sites as free ranging cheetah or within larger fenced reserves. Currently, even without the extension but after prey augmentation, the enclosure can potentially house a coalition of males and 1-2 females as residents. The timeline for releasing cheetah would depend on prey augmentation and can be as early as mid-2021. After the extension of the fencing, the area can be a source of breeding cheetah in India within a secure enclosed area. 

For the area outside of the enclosure, MHTR would require investments on a large scale in terms of reducing anthropogenic pressures through a) village relocation, b) grazing control of goats and cattle, c) mitigating infrastructure (road ways and railway). Once this is done, the MHTR can form a part of the larger landscape for cheetah in India by connecting it to Bhainsrodgarh WLS through the reserve forests of Chittorgarh Division and then onto Gandhi Sagar WLS in Madhya Pradesh. Free ranging tigers within Mukundara TR would not be a problem for cheetah introduction within the enclosure. The enclosure is better suited for cheetah habitat and prey compared to the requirement for tigers as majority of it is composed of open woodlands, savanna and grasslands with good habitat for chinkara and blackbuck (and not for sambar). Besides once restorative activities are undertaken in Mukundara TR (primarily reduction of human/livestock pressures), it can serve to hold both free ranging tigers and cheetah as well in the larger landscape. 

  2. Shergarh Wildlife Sanctuary 

This site was visited on the suggestion of the CCF Wildlife-Kota and Shri Bharat Singh, MLA of the region as having potential for cheetah reintroduction. A rapid site assessment was conducted on 23rd Nov 2020.  

The WLS was too small by itself for further consideration. However, Shergarh WLS along with the block of grassland to the north forming the Pathar and the reserve forest land to the south if enclosed by a predator fence can have the potential to hold a few cheetah (Figure 2a). The Pathar is also a Reserve Forest land with no human habitation. The combination of the Shergarh WLS, Pathar and the Reserve Forest of Baran division together cover 180 km2. The habitat is ideal for cheetah (grassland, open woodland) and currently may hold a few leopards (no records) and striped hyena. The prey base was extremely low, mostly nilgai and few chinkara in the Pathar habitat. For further consideration as a site for cheetah reintroduction the entire ~250 km2 would need to be fenced and human habitation from within the enclosed area relocated. Shri Bharat Singh was of the opinion of clearing Reserve Forest land along the Kota-Baran highway encroached by thick Prosopis juliflora and use these lands for village resettlement from Shergarh WLS and Mukundara Hills TR. These lands along the highway would be an extremely lucrative incentive for communities to relocate outside of the Protected Areas due to their road access, fertile nature and irrigation possibilities. Once villages are resettled and the area fenced, augmentation of prey (chinkara, blackbuck and chital) would be required. The investments required for making Shergarh suitable for cheetah reintroduction are high and would take time (~ 5 years). However, the site should be considered for these investments as it will restore a degraded PA to its full potential and allow the State to harness its full potential for ecosystem services and for eco-tourism. 

Based on observations regarding habitat and interactions with park management the actions required to be undertaken immediately are listed below-  

1. Village relocation - Relocation of Villages within the Sanctuary  

2. Transfer of Reserve Forest - Addition of Reserve Forests (RF) to the North (Pathar) and south (Baran Division) to increase the effective area for cheetah introduction 

3. Boundary Fencing - Predator proof fencing around the WLS and RF to the North and South (to cover ~ 250 km2 Area)  

4. Prey Augmentation - Prey Augmentation by translocation of Blackbuck, Chital and Chinkara

~ 200 to 300 of each species 

5. Road Mitigation - After addition of RF as part of the reintroduction area the roads passing through the RF would need mitigation (regulated traffic).  
 
If the Rajasthan Government invests in fencing Shergarh WLS along with parts of the Reserve Forest areas suggested above and relocate the few human settlements with appropriate incentives the area would be suitable for a population of 3-4 breeding units of cheetah. The fencing in Mukundara TR has amply demonstrated the effectiveness it has on habitat recovery and with some effort in prey augmentation the Shergarh complex can be restored to its biological potential and provide the desired ecosystem services, achieve its conservation objectives and provide a big boost to the rural economy through cheetah based eco-tourism. 

  3. Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary  
 
The habitat composed of grassland, savanna, open woodland along with evergreen riverine ravines forms the perfect habitat for cheetah reintroduction. If Gandhi Sagar WLS can be managed along with neighboring state of Rajasthan (Chittorgarh Division and Bhainsrodgarh WLS) and addition of the territorial divisions of Mandsaur and Neemuch as buffers, a suitable area of ~2000 km2 as cheetah habitat can be secured. The task involves commitment from both states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to work together in allocating these territorial forest divisions under a unified management plan with WLS. Such an effort would be an important objective for cheetah reintroduction i.e. to use the cheetah as a flagship and umbrella species for the conservation and restoration of habitats such as those represented by Gandhi Sagar and Bhainsrodgarh WLS (other than habitats where the tiger can serve as a flagship).

A site assessment was conducted from 24th-25th Nov 2020 to understand relative abundance of prey, quality of habitat and identify issues concerning park management. A total of 111 km (Figure 3b) were covered to obtain encounter rates and densities of prey species (Tables 3 and 4). To calculate prey densities, the effective strip widths obtained from distance sampling conducted in Kuno during 2014 were used, as both areas have similar terrain and vegetation composition.  

Based on observations regarding habitat and interactions with park management the actions required to be undertaken immediately are listed below- 

1. Enhance protection - Recruitment of staff to fill up vacancies  - Training of field staff in anti-poaching activities


2. Prey Augmentation - Prey Augmentation by translocation of Blackbuck (1000), Chital (1500) and Chinkara (350). On an average cheetah family/coalition are expected to make a kill every 3-4 days. Considering finite growth rate of ungulates to be ~1.33 (Jhala et al., in press), a population of about 350 ungulates are required for a cheetah coalition family. The proposed prey base augmentation can sustain 7-8 cheetah family/ coalitions. 

3. Construction of soft release enclosure - A predator enclosure of 1 km2 area to be constructed with four equal partitions. The height of the fence will have to be 2.5 m angled both inside and outside (Appendix 1).  

4. Village community Sensitization - Sensitization of communities towards cheetah reintroduction, and opportunities for eco- tourism.  

5. Road regulation - Vehicular movement on two roads- (1) State highway 31A and (2) Rawatbhata- Gandhisagar Road, have to be regulated with barriers and speed breakers so that vehicle speed is restricted to <40 kms/hr.

6. Water management - Water hole construction/ filling and maintenance of natural water sources such that water is available throughout the year at a density of one in 25 km2 (or within a radius of 3 km)  

Cheetah introduction to Gandhi Sagar can commence in a phased manner as soon as prey supplementation is initiated and a soft release enclosure is built. Other actions can go on simultaneously with the introduction. The proposed prey base augmentation can sustain 7-8 cheetah family/ coalitions. 

For the long-term viability of a cheetah population in India, commitment from the Governments of Madhya Pradesh for inclusion of the territorial reserve forest areas as buffers and from the Government of Rajasthan for the development of parts of the territorial Chittorgarh Division and Bhainsrodgarh WLS as a large inter-state cheetah conservation complex along with Gandhi Sagar should be obtained (Figure 3c).  

  4. Kuno National Park 

Kuno National Park has been regularly monitored since 2006 for lion reintroduction and it is due to the efforts of the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department on rehabilitation of villages from within the core area, and declaration of National Park status, that Kuno (Table 4.1) has shown remarkable recovery in its habitat, prey abundance and reduction of human impacts. Due to delays in lion reintroduction the site was considered for cheetah reintroduction in 2010. However, the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its order on the reintroduction of the Asiatic Lion in Kuno in 2013, also ruled against the reintroduction of the cheetah in Kuno. Subsequent, to affidavits filed by NTCA explaining that cheetah reintroduction would not impact lion reintroductions in any adverse manner, the Hon’ble Supreme Court has permitted cheetah introduction on an “experimental basis in a careful chosen habitat and nurtured and watched to see whether it can adapt to the Indian conditions”. A site assessment was conducted from 25th to 29th Nov 2020 to understand relative abundance of prey, quality of habitat and identify issues concerning park management. A total of 54 km in the old Wildlife Sanctuary Part and 207 km in the old wildlife division part both of which now constitute the Kuno National Park (Figure 4c) were covered using a slow moving vehicle to obtain encounter rates and densities of prey species viz. chital, sambar, nilgai, wild pig, chinkara and cattle (Tables 5 and 6). To calculate prey densities, the effective strip widths obtained from distance sampling conducted in Kuno during 2014 were used.    

The Kuno National Park has diverse habitats conducive for lions and cheetah constituted by open woodlands, savanna, dry deciduous forests, and evergreen riverine forests. Forest grass species (Themeda, Apluda, Heteropogon, Chloris, Desmostachya spp) were common in valley habitats while plateau tops had shorter grasses like (Aristida, Dicanthium, Eragrostis, Panicum, and Cenchrus Spp). Kuno is part of a large forested landscape constituted by the Sheopur-Shivpuri forests covering an area of ~6800 km2 (Figure 4b). Currently the leopard and striped hyena are the only larger carnivores within the National Park, the single lone tiger having returned to Ranthambore earlier this year. In the degraded forests outside the National Park, presence of wolves is also reported. The density of leopards was 8.9 (SE 1.4) per 100 km2 (Jhala et al. 2020). 

Based on observations regarding habitat and interactions with park management the actions required to be undertaken immediately are listed below-  

1. Enhance protection - Hiring of ex-army personnel - Recruitment of staff to fill up vacancies - Training of field staff in anti-poaching activities  

2. Grassland management -  Pruning of Zizyphus  - Removal of Desmostachya - Removal of Acacia lucophyla from grasslands -Selective and controlled use of cattle to manage grasslands  

3. Water management - On the south western and eastern side of the National Park  

4. Construction of soft release enclosure for holding cheetah - Size 1km2 in Jakhoda/Paira grassland. A predator enclosure of 1 km2 area to be constructed with four equal partitions. The height of the fence will have to be 2.5 m angled both inside and outside (Appendix 1).  

5. Prosopis juliflora plantation removal & ban further plantation of this species. - In the Wildlife Division    

6. Village relocation - Two villages- Bagcha and Jahangarh 

7. Dog vaccination - In villages inside and on the periphery of the Wildlife Division against rabies, canine distemper and parvovirus 

8. Prey base estimation - Kuno has been monitored since 2006, last assessment was done in 2018. A fresh assessment in 2021 would be useful. 

Kuno National Park is currently ready for the reintroduction of cheetah with minimal actions required (above). Introduction can commence in a phased manner with few individuals after the construction of the soft release enclosure and augmentation of protection, while other actions are under way. The action plan prepared for the reintroduction of cheetah in Kuno in 2012 (Jhala et al. 2011) remains valid. These first batch of cheetah (6-8 individuals) should be soft released in the enclosure with GPS/GSM or GPS/Satellite transmitters. Males would be released first while females remain within the enclosure. This would ensure that males, during their exploratory movements, would not stray very far from the soft release enclosure where females are housed. Once males settle down females should be released. The introduction of the cheetah in Kuno in no way compromises the objectives or potential for reintroducing the Asiatic lions here as per the Hon’ble Supreme Court Order (2013). Once cheetah have established, they are known to be able to evade lion predation effectively. Many habitats (Protected Areas) as well as fenced game reserves in Africa have sympatric cheetah and lions. In historical times in India too, lions, tigers, leopards, and cheetah were once sympatric (Divyabhanusinh 2002). 

  5. Madhav National Park 

Madhav National (NP) was evaluated on the recommendation of the Madhya Pradesh Forest department. This forested patch of Shivpuri still has some habitat connectivity to Sheopur forests (with Kuno National Park). Though Madhav NP is small and highly impacted with anthropogenic pressures, consideration of introduction of a charismatic species like the cheetah may bring in the required resources for its restoration while simultaneously increasing the livelihood options for local communities through wildlife tourism.

A rapid site assessment was conducted from 29th November 2020 to understand relative abundance of prey, quality of habitat and identify issues concerning park management. A total of 41 km (Figure 5b) were covered using a slow moving vehicle in the eastern part of the PA as suggested by park management. to obtain encounter rates and densities of prey species viz. chital, sambar, nilgai, wild pig, chinkara and cattle (Tables 7 and 8). To calculate prey densities, the effective strip widths obtained from distance sampling conducted in Kuno during 2014 were used, as both areas have similar terrain and vegetation composition. 

Based on observations regarding habitat and interactions with park management the actions required to be undertaken immediately are listed below-  

1. Boundary Fencing - Chain link fencing of the area in the Sanctuary (Figure 5c) length- 87 km, Cost approximately 20 Crore 

2.  Enhance protection - Recruitment of staff to fill up vacancies - Training of field staff in anti-poaching activities  

3. Assessment of prey and predator populations - To be conducted by Wildlife Institute of India with trained Forest Department staff and volunteers (if MP govt. agrees for fencing the area).  

4. Prey augmentation - Translocation of Chital (1000), blackbuck (500) and chinkara (200) 

5. Village relocation - Required in the fenced area  

6. Temple road and festival regulation - Vehicular movement on forest road to Ballarpur temple and shifting of the festival outside the PA 

With the current situation of Madhav NP, cheetah can only be introduced within a fenced area of the NP. The effectiveness of fencing in restoring habitats has been amply demonstrated in Mukundara TR predator enclosure. Such an investment in Madhav NP will help restore a substantial part of the National Park. Once the fence is erected and cheetah introduced after prey assessment/ and required augmentation, the success of the model should be assessed and subsequently the fenced area can be extended to the western part of the National Park. Madhav NP does not add substantially to the objective of establishing cheetah in India, but by introducing the cheetah to Madhav NP, the National Park would benefit substantially with the associated investments and also increase its potential for generating revenue through wildlife tourism.  

   6. Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary 

Nauradehi WLS was one of the priority sites identified in 2010 for cheetah reintroduction (Ranjitsinh and Jhala 2010) and an action plan for cheetah reintroduction prepared (Jhala et al. 2012). The forest department of Madhya Pradesh has already implemented a lot of actions mentioned in the plan. Noteworthy is the relocation of 12 of the 24 recommended villages targeted for relocation (Jhala et al 2012). A total of 15 villages have been relocated with plans of additional 10 villages to be relocated in 2021. These investments and management actions has resulted in visible and substantial recovery of Nauradehi WLS. The habitat is much improved with reduction of livestock grazing and an increase in wild prey. The habitat composed of open woodlands, savannah and patches of grasslands at relocated village sites form ideal conditions for cheetah reintroduction. 

A rapid site assessment was conducted from 01st to 03rd December 2020 to understand relative abundance of prey, quality of habitat and identify issues concerning park management. A total of 157km (Figure 6c) were covered using a slow-moving vehicle to obtain encounter rates and densities of prey species viz. chital, sambar, nilgai, wild pig, chinkara and cattle (Tables 9 and 10). To calculate prey densities, the effective strip widths obtained from distance sampling conducted in Kuno during 2014 were used, as both areas have similar terrain and vegetation composition. 

Based on observations regarding habitat and interactions with park management the actions required to be undertaken immediately are listed below- 

1. Boundary Fencing - Chain link fencing of the area in the Sanctuary (Figure 6d) length- ~230km, Cost ~50 Crore  

2. Enhance protection - Recruitment of staff to fill up vacancies - Training of field staff in anti-poaching activities 

3. Assessment of prey and predator populations - Conducted by Wildlife Institute of India with trained Forest Department staff and volunteers (if required).

4. Prey augmentation - By translocation of Chital (~1000), blackbuck (~500) and chinkara (~200). On an average cheetah family/coalition are expected to make a kill every 3-4 days. Considering finite growth rate of ungulates to be ~1.33 (Jhala et al., in press), a population of about 350 ungulates are required for a cheetah coalition family. The proposed prey base after augmentation along with existing prey can sustain 7-8 cheetah family/ coalitions.   

5. Construction of soft release enclosure for holding cheetah - Size 1km2 in Pipla grassland (Appendix 1). A predator enclosure of 1 km2 area to be constructed with four equal partitions. The height of the fence will have to be 2.5 m angled both inside and outside (Appendix 1). 

6. Village relocation - Relocation of the following villages might be required in the fenced area- Boma, Deolpani, Ankhikheda, Patna, Jamun, Khapa, Singhpuri 

7. Road regulation - Vehicular movement on two roads- (1) Sagar to Jabalpur and (2) Tendukheda to Deori have to be regulated with barriers and speed breakers 

8. Dog vaccination - In villages inside and on the periphery of the Sanctuary against rabies, canine distemper and parvovirus 

Since the cheetah reintroduction was put on-hold by the Hon’ble Supreme Court order of 2013, Madhya Pradesh has reintroduced a pair of tigers in the south-central portion of Nauradehi WLS. These tigers have bred and now have three sub-adult cubs. Newly reintroduced cheetah will find it difficult to escape tiger predation in a habitat unknown to them. Besides, despite several village relocations, Nauradehi still experiences a large amount of anthropogenic pressures from adjoining villages outside of the WLS borders. To initially contain cheetah within a restricted area, remove human impacts and to allow cheetah to establish without interference from tigers, an area on the northern and central parts of the WLS needs to be fenced (Figure 6d). This area (536 km2) has relatively better cheetah prey populations and is outside the range of the reintroduced tigers. The fencing will serve all of the above as well as allow prey populations to build up by stopping all poaching and through augmentation (if required). Once cheetah start to breed here and have established themselves the southern boundary fencing could be removed and the cheetah allowed to expand their range southwards and the tigers northward. Tigers are unlikely to cause extirpation of cheetah that are already established since they would know their habitat intimately so as to escape predation.

Roads with public access passing through the enclosed area (Figure 6d) would need to be regulated with barriers at both entry/exit points and with speed breakers to control vehicle speed <40 km/hr.

    7. Concluding Points 

As envisaged in the cheetah reintroduction in India (Ranjitsinh and Jhala 2010), several populations of cheetah (three to five) need to be established and subsequently managed as a meta- population. The above assessment was based on previous knowledge of many of the sites as well as a reconnaissance of their current status. As seen from the above assessment, cheetah introduction can be done at all the surveyed sites with appropriate investments (some more than others) and management actions. However, clearly, some sites have the potential to achieve the full range of objectives for the reintroduction of cheetah while others serve to address a limited number of objectives. For free ranging cheetah that would serve as a flagship and also perform their ecological role in a restored savannah-woodland system, clearly 1) Kuno National Park- Sheopur Forest landscape and 2) Gandhi Sagar-Chittorgarh-Bhainsrodgarh WLS with parts of Mukundara TR landscape adequately meet the criteria. Of these two, Kuno National Park is ready with the least investments required for reintroduction, while the Gandhi Sagar- Bhainsrodgarh landscape requires concurrence from the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and investments in terms of prey supplementation and protection. Both sites would benefit immensely through the cheetah reintroduction program and are priority landscapes. Nauradehi WLS has very high potential initially for housing a fenced population and later of becoming a free ranging population as well. Investments required here were for fencing and prey restoration.

The enclosure in Mukundara TR can immediately be used to bring cheetah into India and allow these animals to acclimatize prior to their release at other select sites. Also, Mukundara enclosure after extension can serve to hold a secure population of 3-4 cheetah breeding units and can be used to produce cheetah for reinforcements of reintroduced populations.  

   Necessary preparations 

From Government of Rajasthan for a) allocation of Mukundara TR enclosure for cheetah introduction and its expansion, b) allocation of some of the Territorial Chittorgarh Division ranges along with Bhainsrodgarh WLS for the larger inter-state cheetah conservation landscape.  

From the Government of Madhya Pradesh to allocate a) Territorial Neemuch and Mandsaur Division ranges adjoining Gandhi Sagar WLS as buffer and part of the larger Cheetah conservation landscape, b) Prey augmentation in Gandhi Sagar WLS, c) fencing part of Nauradehi WLS and prey augmentation.  

In addition to the above two, the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh can also opt to fence off Shergarh and Madhav as well as implement the recommendations mentioned above. If such an investment was undertaken, then both sites could potentially hold cheetah. These sites are not considered as priority for achieving the holistic objectives of cheetah reintroduction, but would serve to restore both sites and achieve the objectives of biodiversity conservation and eco-tourism. 

Based on the response from the two states, further actions will be taken up by WII and NTCA for the reintroduction of cheetah in India. Permission for work on assessment of prey is being sought for Mukundara TR, Kuno NP and Nauradehi WLS from the Chief Wildlife Wardens of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. 

Additional potential sites that need surveys in near future include the Shahgarh bulge in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan; Kaimur-Bagdhara complex, Guru Ghasidas NP, amongst a few others. Permissions for the above are being sought from the respective CWLW’s of Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. 

    8. References

 Divyabhanusinh. (2002) The end of a trail: the cheetah in India. Oxford University Press, USA. 
    
Jhala et al. (2011) Action Plan for the Reintroduction of the Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh. Cheetah Task Force, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and Wildlife Institute of India. 

Jhala et al. (2012) Action Plan for the Reintroduction of the Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh. Cheetah Task Force, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and Wildlife Institute of India.  

Jhala et al. (in press) Recovery of tigers in India: Critical introspection and potential lessons. People and Nature.  

Ranjitsinh, M. K. & Jhala, Y. V. (2010) Assessing the potential for reintroducing the cheetah in India. Wildlife Trust of India, Noida, & Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.

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