New Delhi: The Centre on Sunday mentioned that 5 out of the 20 grownup cheetahs introduced from Namibia and South Africa to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh died because of ‘pure causes’ and rejected media reviews attributing the deaths to elements like radio collars.
“As per the preliminary analysis by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the apex body entrusted with the implementation of Project Cheetah, all mortalities are due to natural causes,” the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change mentioned in an official assertion.
“There are reports in the media attributing these cheetah deaths to other reasons including their radio collars etc. Such reports are not based on any scientific evidence but are speculation and hearsay,” the assertion added.
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Male cheetah Suraj, translocated from South Africa, died on the Kuno National Park on Friday, whereas one other translocated male cheetah Tejas died on Tuesday.
The ministry additionally mentioned that the Project Cheetah is but to finish a yr and will probably be ‘untimely’ to conclude the result when it comes to success and failure since cheetah reintroduction is a long-term undertaking.
“In the last 10 months, all stakeholders involved in this project have gained valuable insights into cheetah management, monitoring, and protection. There is optimism that the project will succeed in the long run and there is no reason to speculate at this juncture,” the Ministry acknowledged.
It mentioned that for investigating the reason for cheetah deaths, session with worldwide cheetah specialists and veterinary docs from South Africa and Namibia is being executed regularly.
“The Cheetah Project Steering Committee is closely monitoring the project and has expressed satisfaction over its implementation so far,” the assertion learn.
Further, the Ministry knowledgeable that steps just like the institution of a Cheetah Research Center with services for rescue, rehabilitation, capability constructing, and interpretation; bringing extra forest space below the executive management of Kuno National Park for panorama degree administration; offering extra frontline employees; establishing Cheetah Protection Force; and creation of a second house for cheetahs in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh have been envisaged.
Project Cheetah ‘certain to endure ups and downs’
The Ministry mentioned that cheetah has been introduced again to India after seven a long time and a undertaking of such a stature is ‘certain to endure ups and downs’.
“Global experience particularly from South Africa suggests that in the initial phase of reintroduction of cheetah in African countries has resulted in more than 50% mortality of introduced cheetahs,” it mentioned.
The mortality of cheetah could occur because of intra-species fights, ailments, and accidents earlier than launch and post-release, the ministry mentioned and added that mortalities may also consequence from damage prompted through the looking of prey, poaching, street hits, poisoning, and predatory assault by different predators, and many others.
All about Modi govt’s Project Cheetah
The Narendra Modi-led Government on the Centre has launched the bold undertaking of bringing again cheetahs to India. The Project Cheetah is being carried out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory physique below the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and cheetah specialists from Namibia and South Africa.
The undertaking implementation is being executed as per the ‘Action Plan for Introduction in India’ and a Steering Committee comprising eminent specialists and officers concerned within the first-ever profitable tiger reintroduction in Sariska and Panna Tiger Reserve, to supervise the undertaking has additionally been constituted.
Under the undertaking, a complete of 20 radio-collared cheetahs had been introduced from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park, in a first-ever transcontinental wild to wild translocation. After the necessary quarantine interval, all cheetahs had been shifted to bigger acclimatization enclosures.
Currently, 11 cheetahs are below free-ranging situations, whereas 5 animals, together with a cub born on Indian soil, are inside quarantine enclosures.
