Bhopal: The deaths of two African cheetahs at Madhya Pradesh`s Kuno National Park (KNP) inside one month has generated questions in authorities quarters and amongst wildlife lovers on whether or not there have been lapses in dealing with them at their new habitat the place a complete of twenty-two felines together with 4 newly borne cubs live.
Amid the questions, a crew from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) — the nodal company for the “reintroduction of cheetahs” on Indian soil — can be visiting KNP quickly to assessment the implementation of the mission with the officers of the Madhya Pradesh forest division and the scientists of the Wild Life Institute of India, the NTCA officers informed IANS.
In the meantime, the MP forest division pushed the advice for shifting among the cheetahs to a brand new habitat, which can also be a part of the `Cheetah Action Plan`, because the officers claimed. Giving particulars of the `Cheetah Reintroduction Action Plan`, principal Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Wildlife of Madhya Pradesh J. S. Chouhan wrote to the NTCA within the first week of April (quickly after feminine Namibian cheetah Sasha died) to search out an alternate enclosure to shift some cheetahs from KNP.
“Keeping all the cheetahs at one site will be a risk for reintroduction of the cheetahs. Also, KNP can accommodate a maximum of 21 cheetahs at one time and at present it has 22 and therefore, I have requested the NTCA to find an alternative place to shift some of them,” J. S. Chouhan had informed IANS a few days in the past, including that shifting of some cheetahs can also be a part of the “cheetah reintroduction action plan`.
There has been considerable debate among conservationists on whether the cheetah, which needs vast tracts of land to run and hunt, can thrive in India where suitable land is limited unlike in the African reserves.
Even before 20 cheetahs were imported from Namibia and South Africa, some experts had raised questions over how the space shortage is likely to affect the cheetah reintroduction project at Madhya Pradesh`s KNP, which has a core area of 748 sq km and a buffer zone of 487 sq km.
In such a situation, there are worries about the 11 South African cheetahs (one of the 12 South African cheetahs `Uday` died a few days back) when they will be released into a larger area at KNP. As of now, the African cheetahs are in the acclimatisation enclosure.
The Cheetah Task Force Committee also pointed out this issue during its last meeting. “African cheetahs are within the acclimatisation enclosure and they are going to be prepared for launch in 15-20 days. Releasing all of them at KNP won’t be sensible, subsequently an alternate web site is very fascinating,” a member of the Cheetah Task Force Committee told IANS on condition of anonymity.
At the same time, sources aware of the developments claimed that shifting some of the cheetahs has raised a political controversy as there is a possibility that the alternative site will be the Mukundra Tiger Reserve located near Kota in Rajasthan.
Amid all this buzz, IANS sent some written queries to the NTCA. Responding on the shifting of the cheetahs, S. P. Yadav, a senior member of the NTCA said, “A cheetah motion plan has been ready in session with all specialists in cheetah conservation. It is a long run mission and shouldn’t be judged after just a few months. Based on our expertise at Kuno, additional selections on these points can be taken.”
He added that “It`s unhappy that two cheetahs have died. However, in such transcontinental efforts the mortality of animals can’t be dominated out. Some of them could die because of a number of causative elements and it has already been factored into the Project Cheetah Action Plan accessible within the public area. In compliance with the Hon`ble Supreme Court`s order cheetah translocation has been taken up on an “experimental basis”.
Replying to an extra question if the NTCA has issued some directives to Kuno following the loss of life of two cheetahs, the NTCA member stated, “All the protocols of monitoring cheetahs are strictly being followed in the field. We are going to review the implementation of the project soon with MP government officials and scientists of the WII.”
Owing to rampant looking, cheetahs have been formally declared extinct in India in 1952. Seven a long time later, on September 17, 2022, eight cheetahs have been flown in from Namibia and launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 72nd birthday on the KNP, marking the reintroduction of cheetahs into the Indian wilds. Five months later, 12 South African cheetahs joined the eight Namibians on the KNP on February 18, taking the overall quantity to twenty.
However, the mission suffered the primary blow with the loss of life of one of many Namibian females, Sasha on March 27 because of extreme renal an infection. Just two days later, one other Namibian feminine gave beginning to 4 cubs, the primary cheetah births on Indian soil in seven a long time. However, simply 27 days later, one of many 12 South African cheetahs, an grownup male Uday, died immediately because of cardiopulmonary failure at KNP. The detailed report on what brought on the cardiopulmonary failure remains to be awaited.
