Why in news? India’s cheetah introduction programme has completed one year. The first batch of eight cheetahs from Namibia arrived on September 17, 2022, officially launching Project Cheetah.

Cheetah in India

• The cheetah population used to be fairly widespread. The animal was found from Jaipur and Lucknow in the north to Mysore in the south, and from Kathiawar in the west to Deogarh in the east.
• The cheetah was officially declared extinct by the Indian government in 1952.

How did cheetahs go extinct in India?

• Over-hunting was a major contributing factor for the cheetah’s extinction.
• The decimation of its relatively narrow prey base species and the loss of its grassland-forest habitat also played a role.
• India’s emphasis on agriculture, which included acquiring and parceling off grassland, further led to a decline in the cheetah’s habitat.

Earlier attempts to bring back the cheetah

• India’s first attempt to bring back the cheetah was in the early 1970s. Dr Ranjitsinh was tasked with carrying out negotiations with Iran.
• However, it could not lead to the translocation of Cheetahs due to following reasons:
  • Potential release sites in India needed to be upgraded with an increase in prey base and greater protection.
  • During the process, Emergency was declared in the country and soon after, the regime of the Shah of Iran fell.
  • While the Persian Cheetah was preferred for relocation, as it was Asiatic, this is no longer possible as the cheetah population in Iran has dwindled to under 50.
• While attempts to relocate cheetahs to India began in 2009, it was only in 2020 that the Supreme Court of India finally gave the green signal for such efforts.

Why have African cheetahs been introduced in India?

• The goal of the introduction of African cheetahs is to “establish viable cheetah metapopulation in India that:
  • allows the cheetah to perform its functional role as a top predator and,
  • provides space for the expansion of the cheetah within its historical range thereby contributing to its global conservation efforts.
• Basically, the project aims to enable cheetahs to establish themselves as viable and free-ranging populations in large unfenced wildlife reserves which are in turn connected by wildlife corridors to other unfenced reserves.

What is the status of the project?

• Introduction and birth
  • In total, 20 adult African cheetahs have been imported so far.
    • The first batch of eight cheetahs arrived on September 17, 2022.
    • Another batch of 12 cheetahs from South Africa arrived on February 18, 2023.
  • In late March 2023, one of the females gave birth to a litter of four cubs which were conceived in India.
• Release of Cheetahs into the wild
  • So far, only 12 of the 20 cheetahs were ever released into the wild, with a few being brought back multiple times to the Kuno National Park (KNP).
  • This was because the managers felt that the cats were moving into areas that may have posed risks for their survival.
• Death
  • Six of the cheetahs which came from Africa have died. Four while still in captivity and two in the wild.
  • Additionally, three of the four cubs have died and the only remaining cub is being hand reared as its mother has rejected it.
• Steps taken after the deaths of Cheetahs
  • Since the deaths of the three cheetahs in July-August, all 10 of the remaining free cheetahs have been captured and kept captive in enclosures for observation, removal of radio-collars and treatment.
• Current status
  • On the first anniversary of the project, all the surviving 14 adult cheetahs and one cub are in captivity.
  • There is talk of them being radio-collared again and released once the winter sets in.
  • The project authorities are talking of additional sites being prepared for releasing the cheetahs such as the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, both in Madhya Pradesh.
  • The project authorities are also talking of importing more cheetahs from Africa sometime next year.

Why did the cheetahs die?

• There have been a variety of reasons and causes attributed to the deaths of the six adults and three cubs.
• Role of Radio collars
  • Radio collars are not the underlying reason for the deaths of any of these cats, at least that is the officially stated position.
  • One needs to determine if the African cheetahs are susceptible to certain insects and parasites in India, and if the collars provide a micro-environment conducive for these to thrive.
• Other factors
  • 1st cheetah died due to a renal condition.
  • One of the females died when authorities attempted to get the cheetah to mate inside the enclosure.
  • 3 of the four cubs born - died due to heatwave conditions.
  • One of the males died due to cardio-pulmonary failure but what caused it (the ultimate cause), has still not been determined.
  • The last three deaths occurred during the monsoon.
• Final verdict
  • While there have been several conflicting reports regarding the cause of their deaths, no definitive cause has been shared in the public domain.

What are the lessons to be learnt?

• Without proper and adequate habitats, there is no point in importing more cheetahs.
• Experts believe that there is need to focus on the establishment of high-quality habitats covering at least 5,000 square kilometres before bringing more cheetahs from Africa.
  • We cannot rely on simply importing more cheetahs to establish a viable population while neglecting its habitat requirements.
• Also, the other weakness has been the lack of wider consultation and transparency. This definitely needs to improve.

Source: The Hindu