After 69 years, Cheetah to be again introduced in India
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Bhopal, May 24: In the very positive development for Wildlife enthusiasts, as Cheetahs will now be again introduced in India. According to the state government, a total of 8 Cheetah will be introduced at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in November 2021. With that, the big cats will once again become a part of Indian ecosystem after 69 years.
"Five male cheetahs and three females will be brought from South Africa's Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) to India," said Alok Kumar, principal chief conservator of forest (Wildlife).
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) some years back prepared a cheetah re-introduction project. In January 2020 Supreme Court of India had also given its approval to introduce African cheetahs in suitable habitat in India as an experiment to see if they can adapt to the environment.
According to Madhya Pradesh's Forest Minister Vijay Shah, Indian officials will visit South Africa for sensitisation and training activities in June and July. If all goes according to the plan then, the transportation of the cheetahs will take place in October and November. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will provide the fund for the reintroduction of Cheetahs. Madhya Pradesh forest minister also added that the financial aid will be provided to the state and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) at Dehradun next month.
Experts from the WII had visited four places in Madhya Pradesh to look for the best habitat for the introduction of African Cheetah in the country last year. Kuno is located in the Chambal region. It is spread across an area of 750 sq km. The park has a conducive environment for cheetah. It is a protected area which is having a considerable population of four-horned antelopes, nilgai, chinkara, spotted deer, and wild boar. Thus, the park has a good prey base for cheetahs.
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It should be noted that India had spotted its last Cheetah in Chhattisgarh in 1947. After the death of the last Cheetah,the species was declared extinct in 1952. Cheetah is listed in the “vulnerable category” of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list of threatened species. This is because its population has declined to 7100 (as of 2016) and is found primarily in African savannas.
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