A Cheetah introduced from South Africa is seen in an enclosure at Palpur, Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh on February 18, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, which at the moment hosts 20 cheetahs introduced in from Africa, does not have enough prey to maintain all the animals. While the Rajasthan authorities had provided to host some animals within the comparatively smaller, however well-equipped, Mukundra Tiger reserve, “political considerations” had prevented this from occurring, Yadvendradev Jhala, the wildlife scientist who performed a serious position in India’s cheetah reintroduction programme, informed The Hindu in an unique interplay.
Eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa have been transported to India between September 2022 and February 2023 as a part of an initiative to reintroduce the species to India, the place it had gone extinct within the early Fifties.
Dr. Jhala is a former Dean of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and among the many co-authors of the National Cheetah Action Plan that varieties the idea of the cheetah programme. He had superannuated from the institute however had his tenure prolonged for 2 years to guarantee the sleek execution of the cheetah reintroduction programme. His prolonged tenure was, nevertheless, unexpectedly lower brief by a 12 months. “I do believe I have much more to contribute in terms of scientific knowledge and the vision (to ensure sustainable cheetah populations). Maybe the government thinks otherwise,” he stated.
‘Not enough prey’
As current, there are about 20 chital — the cheetah’s principal prey — per sq. kilometre accessible on the KNP, a pointy decline from the almost 60 chital per sq. km that may very well be discovered within the park in 2014, Dr. Jhala stated. “This, at the most, would sustain 15 animals, and five ought to have been shifted elsewhere. Unlike the Gangasagar and Nauradehi wildlife sanctuaries (in Madhya Pradesh) which will take at least a year and investments worth ₹750 crore to be made suitable for the cheetah, Mukundara can immediately accommodate them,” Dr. Jhala defined.
“Initially the Rajasthan government was reluctant, but they agreed and wrote to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) last year conveying their readiness to accept cheetahs. But now the Centre doesn’t seem keen. They haven’t said ‘no’, but I think they want to wait. I think there are political considerations here,” he noticed. Unlike in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan has a Congress-led authorities.
Political components
While conservation science and rules of ecology advocate that species populate a number of geographical areas within the curiosity of their long-term survival, political components have been recognized to are available the best way. The KNP, which was initially scheduled to accommodate the Asiatic lion from Gir, has but to obtain a single lion regardless of a Supreme Court order in 2013 directing the state of Gujarat to ship them.
Dr. Jhala stated the shortage of enough prey in KNP was a “concerning” scenario. “I think the government should consider measures such as prey supplementation [by bringing in more animals]. The government has started developing Gandhi Sagar and has transferred funds to Madhya Pradesh for creating a fenced enclosure like in Kuno,” he added.
Incidentally, the Cheetah Action Plan had estimated, on the idea of a scientific sampling course of led by Dr. Jhala himself in 2021, that there have been 38 chital and 51.58 animals total per sq. km on the KNP. The motion plan had stated that this stage of prey may maintain upto 21 cheetahs.
Officials from the NTCA and the Environment Ministry have beforehand maintained that the 748 sq. km of the KNP and the bigger surrounding habitat of almost 4,000 sq. kilometre are collectively enough to keep 36-40 animals.
‘Cheetahs need space’
There has been appreciable debate amongst conservationists on whether or not the cheetah, which wants huge tracts to run and hunt, can thrive in India the place appropriate land is proscribed in contrast to within the African reserves. Dr. Jhala, nevertheless, underlined that by way of house, India may host extra animals per sq. km than in Africa as a result of “Indian socio-cultural practices” contributed to higher co-existence with huge cats as attested to by the rising numbers of the lion, tiger and leopard.
A wildlife knowledgeable, who declined to be named, stated that prey density numbers have been not a dependable indicator of the cheetah’s adaptability to a habitat. “The cheetah requires much more area than lions and tigers because it is the weakest of the cats and cannot hold on to its prey. You cannot simply pack cheetahs into enclosures and expect them to survive,” he stated.
Reviving grasslands
The true success of the cheetah programme can be in having the animals launched into the wild and having sustainable populations at a number of areas, Dr. Jhala stated. Much like Project Tiger improved India’s forested ecosystem through the years, the cheetah challenge may assist India’s open forest and grassland ecosystems, and thus assist preserve habitat for different species such because the wolf, bustard, lesser florican and carackal as properly.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal interest in the cheetah programme has provided a huge boost and so I’m confident that funds for conservation will not be a problem. However, tourism and participation by local communities is critical to the sustainability of the programme,” Dr. Jhala added.
Watch | How has ‘Project Cheetah’ progressed in India?
