India-South Africa sign pact, 12 cheetahs to be brought to Kuno

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in News

Concept:

An MoU on cooperation in reintroduction of cheetahs to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh next month, has been signed between India and South Africa.
In terms of the agreement, an initial batch of 12 cheetahs (7 male and 5 female) are to be flown in from South Africa to India during February 2023.
The cats will join eight cheetahs introduced to India from Namibia during 2022.
Some improvements have been made to the existing bomas (wildlife enclosures built usually for the treatment or quarantine of animals) based on the observations of the last few months.

Cheetah Reintroduction Plan

Discussions to bring the Cheetah back to India were initiated in 2009 by the Wildlife Trust of India.
Under the ‘Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah in India’, 50 cheetahs will be brought from African countries to various national parks over 5 years.

Recommended sites:

Kuno Palpur National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh: Amongst the surveyed sites of the central Indian states, KNP has been rated the highest, because of its suitable habitat and adequate prey base.
It is assessed to be capable of supporting 21 Cheetahs and is likely the only wildlife site in the country where villages have been completely relocated from within the park.
Kuno also provides the possibility of harbouring four of India’s big cats – tiger, lion, leopard and Cheetah, enabling them to coexist as they have in the past.
The other sites recommended are – Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh; Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary – Bhainsrorgarh Wildlife Sanctuary complex, Madhya Pradesh; Shahgarh bulge in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan; Mukundara Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan.

Reasons behind re-introducing cheetah from southern Africa:

The locally extinct Cheetah-subspecies of India is found in Iran and is categorised as critically endangered.
Since it is not possible to source the critically endangered Asiatic Cheetah from Iran, India decided to source Cheetahs from Southern Africa.
Southern African Cheetahs have the highest observed genetic variety among extant Cheetah lineages, which is critical for a founding population stock.
Furthermore, Southern African Cheetahs have been determined to be the ancestors of all other Cheetah lineages, making them suitable for India’s reintroduction programme.

Challenges of bringing back Cheetahs:

Based on the evidence available, it is impossible to conclude that the choice to bring the African Cheetah into India is scientifically sound.
As a result, the Supreme Court of India (in 2020) permitted an experimental release of Cheetahs in a suitable habitat.