Following the deaths of three cheetah cubs this week, the Centre has formed a new steering committee comprised of national and international specialists to monitor Project Cheetah’s implementation.
What is Project Cheetah?
- After being reported extinct in India for seven decades, the cheetah is going to make a comeback through ‘Project Cheetah’.
- The Indian government reintroduced eight African cheetahs, five females and three males, into Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park.
The Inception and Approval of Project Cheetah
- The Supreme Court of India approved Project Cheetah in January 2020 as a trial programme to reintroduce the cheetah species to the country.
- Indian conservationists proposed the plan in 2009 in partnership with the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), a non-profit organisation based in Namibia.
- The Cheetah Conservation Fund is dedicated to the conservation and rehabilitation of cheetahs in their native habitats.
The sequence of events
- During the Mughal Period, they were extensively utilised for hunting, and Emperor Akbar kept a herd of 1,000 cheetahs. Cheetahs have long been present in Central India, particularly near Gwalior.
- Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh, the monarch of a small princely state in Chhattisgarh, shot the country’s last three living cheetahs in 1947. The last spotted cheetah in India perished in the Sal forests of Chhattisgarh’s Koriya district in 1948, and the animal was declared extinct in India in 1952.
- 1970s: During discussions with Iran’s Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, the first serious efforts to reintroduce the cheetah began in the 1970s. The idea called for exchanging Asiatic lions from India for Asiatic cheetahs from Iran.
- Another attempt to get Iranian cheetahs was made in 2009, but it was unsuccessful since Iran does not allow cloning or export of its cheetahs.
- 2012: The Supreme Court imposed a stay on the reintroduction effort in 2012.
- 2020: Experts from South Africa investigated four prospective reintroduction sites in 2020: Kuno-Palpur, Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, and Madhav National Park.
The reason behind the recent relocation
- cohabitation strategy: India’s approach is unique in that it uses a cohabitation approach to restore the cheetah in an unfenced protected area.
- Fencing has been successful in other countries, but it limits population expansion and range.
- Perfect breeding area selection: The main conservation area of Kuno NP is largely free of man-made concerns.
Various challenges
- Anthropogenic threats like as snaring for bush meat and retaliatory killings endanger the cheetahs.
- Fencing issues: It is thought impossible to keep cheetahs and their prey base in an enclosure.
- Captivity and changes in habitat cause worry and stress, which impedes reproduction.
- Acclimatisation issues: The Kuno forest’s climate, prey species, and overall environment may not encourage mating and reproduction.
- Concerns have been expressed concerning the protracted confinement of cheetahs prior to translocation, which may have increased stress and vulnerability.
Is the project doomed?
(1) Recognising adaptation issues
- Cheetah fatalities must be viewed in the context of their natural lifespan and the difficulties they experience in adapting to Indian settings.
- Daksha, a female cheetah, died as a result of injuries she got during a violent mating attempt by two males, which is consistent with predator behaviour.
(2) Immediate assessment is an absurdity
- The success of animal breeding programmes does not happen quickly. It is premature to pass judgement at this time.
- The growth in lion and tiger numbers in Gir, Gujarat, also required decades of hard work.
(3) Complexities and Publicity of the Project
- The introduction of the cheetahs in India required lengthy government planning, Supreme Court hearings, discussions with numerous countries, logistical problems, and the involvement of the Prime Minister.
- The project attracted a lot of attention. This does not necessarily imply that the PM has the Midas touch.
@the end
- The relocation programme is seen as an experiment, and each death and birth should not be interpreted as a final success or failure.
- Clear criteria and timetables must, however, be defined for project managers to assess whether adjustments are required.
Source: https://thewire.in/environment/indian-oil-will-pay-rs-50-crore-as-csr-to-project-cheetah-which-experts-say-is-doomed-to-fail