70 years after last sighting, India to get Namibian Cheetah by 15th August

According to two government officials familiar with the plan, the cheetahs are to be released into the wild in India before August 15 as part of an exchange program being finalized with Namibia.

A group of 12-14 cheetahs (8-10 males, 4-6 females) will be housed in the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh and released into the wild after satellite radio collars are installed.

Officials aware of the development said the first batch is expected to arrive in India before August 15. The animals will be watched closely to see if they adapt to the new settings and raise families here.

Questions emailed to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change remained unanswered till press time.

“A team of experts recently visited Namibia and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed soon,” ministry secretary Leena Nandan said in an earlier interview to Mint. The MoU between the two environment ministries is expected to be signed by the end. of this month.

Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey said in the Lok Sabha last month that around Rs 38.70 crore has been allocated from Project Tiger for the Cheetah project between 2021-22 and 2025-26.

“The Cheetah Introduction is an ecosystem restoration project. The Government of Madhya Pradesh and the Government of India have made considerable investments over the years to make Kuno suitable for large carnivore introductions. Currently, Kuno National Park has soft release enclosures, habitat restoration activities, Rs 8 crore has been spent for conservation and infrastructure,” said SP Yadav, ADG, Project Tiger and member secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority.

Kuno was estimated to be able to raise 21 cheetahs. Once the cheetah population is established in the park, some of the animals are likely to disperse and colonize the landscape which could then potentially hold up to 36 animals. The Cheetah Restoration Project has been shelved for better conservation of open forests, grasslands and scrub ecosystems.

“One of their stated claims is that the cheetah will serve as a key species for the conservation of grasslands, which today are officially designated as wastelands. Removal of grasslands from that designation.” We should invest Rs 40 crore directly in the conservation of grasslands so that a whole host of native species can be benefited. Why do we have to invest this in the roundabout on African cheetahs?” Ravi Chelam, Chief Executive Officer, Metastring Foundation, and Member, Biodiversity Collaboration.

“The biologists hired for the project and the staff of the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department will monitor the cheetahs,” Yadav said.

“The cheetah is not a prestigious trade species. Therefore, we do not expect targeted hunting,” said H. Jhala, dean, Wildlife Institute of India.