Reintroductions/ conservation translocations of large carnivores have increasingly been Recognized as a strategy to conserve threatened species and restore ecosystem functions. The cheetah is the only large carnivore that has been extirpated, mainly by overhunting and loss of habitat in India in historical times. India now has the financial ability to consider restoring its lost natural heritage for ethical and ecological reasons.
Introduction & Background
a consultative meeting of global experts was held at Gajner in September 2009. The subject was the reintroduction of the cheetah, a species that once roamed India, but had disappeared 66 years ago. Representatives from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s, Cat Specialist Group, Veterinary Specialist Group and Reintroduction Specialist Group, along with other international experts, shared perspectives with government officials. The meeting was very promising.
Amongst the ten surveyed sites in five central Indian States, Kuno Palpur National Park (KNP) in the State of Madhya Pradesh was rated high on the priority list for considering the introduction of the cheetah because of its suitable habitat and adequate prey base. Additionally, a lot of restorative investment had already been made at this site for introducing the Asiatic lions. Kuno National Park today is 748 km2, which is devoid of any human settlements and forms part of the larger Sheopur-Shivpuri dry deciduous open forest landscape spanning an area of 6,800 km2.
Historical of Cheetah in India.
A century ago, 100,000 cheetahs roamed most of Africa, India and other parts of Asia. Today, fewer than 7,100 remain, and they occupy a mere 9 per cent of their historic range in small pockets of Africa. The Asiatic cheetah became extinct in India in 1952. A handful still exist in Iran, but their numbers are declining so quickly, the Asiatic cheetah might soon be extinct there as well.
The historical range of the cheetah in India (Figure 1) encompassed the entire country except for the high mountains, coasts and the northeast region; from the west of Bengal in the east to west of Pakistan into Afghanistan and Iran in the west and from Punjab in the north to northwestern Tamil Nadu in the South.
The reasons cheetahs are on a swift decline can all be traced to man’s interference. Problems like human-wildlife conflict, loss of habitat and loss of prey, and illegal trafficking, have decimated their numbers. The advent of climate change and growing human populations have only made these problems worse. With less available land for wildlife, species that require vast home ranges like the cheetah are placed in competition with other animals and humans, all fighting over less space.
The plight of the cheetah in India was acknowledged by the Government of India way back in 1952 during the first wildlife board meeting of Independent India “called for assigning special priority for the protection of the cheetah in central India” and a “bold experimentation to preserve the cheetah” was suggested. Subsequently, negotiations commenced with the Iran in 1970s with the Shah of Iran for bringing the Asiatic cheetah to India in exchange for the Asiatic lions but that project does not work out.
What is the Project Cheetah?
Project Cheetah was approved by the Supreme Court of India in January 2020 as a pilot programme to reintroduce the species to India. The concept of bringing the cheetah back was first put forth in 2009 by Indian conservationists, along with Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), a not-for-profit organisation, headquartered in Namibia, which works towards saving and rehabilitating the big cat in the wild.
In July 2020, India and the Republic of Namibia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the Namibian government agreeing to donate the eight felines to launch the programme. This is the first time that a wild southern African cheetah will be introduced in India, or anywhere in the world.
Goal
Establish viable cheetah metapopulation in India that allows the cheetah to perform its functional role as a top predator and provides space for the expansion of the cheetah within its historical range thereby contributing to its global conservation efforts.
Objectives
- To establish breeding cheetah populations in safe habitats across its historical range and manage them as a metapopulation.
- To Use The Cheetah As A Charismatic Flagship And Umbrella Species To Garner Resources For Restoring Open Forest And Savanna Systems That Will Benefit Biodiversity And Ecosystem Services From These Ecosystems.
- To enhance India’s capacity to sequester carbon through ecosystem restoration activities in cheetah conservation areas and thereby contribute towards the global climate change mitigation goals.
- To use the ensuing opportunity for eco-development and eco-tourism to enhance local community livelihoods.
- To manage any conflict by cheetahs or other wildlife with local communities within cheetah conservation areas expediently through compensation, awareness, and management actions to win community support.
Relocation Site:- Kuno National Park
Kuno National Park covers an area of 748 km² made free of all human habitation through incentivized voluntary relocation of forest settlements and is located in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh. The National Park and adjoining buffer area are part of the Kuno Wildlife Division which covers an area of 1235 km² (Kuno Management Plan 2020).
The perennial Kuno river flows through the Park. The western side of the river is dominated by hills with medium to steep slopes while the eastern bank falls towards the valley and therefore has flatter terrain with gentle medium slopes and a flat river valley. Kuno National Park falls under the northern tropical dry deciduous forest as per the revised classification of forest types of India (Champion & Seth 1968).
Why was Kuno National Park chosen for India’s cheetah reintroduction Project?
Here’s why the Kuno National Park was chosen as the site to release the cheetahs
Suitable climatic conditions
Based on the assessments of the Wildlife Institute of India and the Wildlife Trust of India, Kuno National Park was found suitable for the cheetahs due to its climatic condition and vegetation.
The cheetahs, used to the African savanna, should have little trouble getting used to Kuno as the national park consists of, among other things such as a riverine forest, and a dry savanna forest.
No human settlements
Kuno National Park is one of the few wildlife sites in the country with absolutely no human settlements in the region or immediate vicinity. This was achieved between 1998 and 2003 when villages within the former sanctuary were relocated in order to make land available for a project to expand the Asiatic Lion’s habitat beyond Gujarat’s Gir forest – though that project never took off.
The potential of coexistence of predators
Kuno National Park was initially envisioned to house a second habitat for India’s Asiatic lions, and while the project never took off, it has the potential to be home to other predators with enough land area available to ensure that co-existence is possible.
The park has a large number of leopards and other predators like the Indian wolf and sloth bears, sparking concerns of territorial fights between them and the cheetahs, it is believed that they can coexist peacefully if enough prey base is available.
A government estimate says that the national park can house as many as 21 cheetahs at present and, if necessary efforts are made and the prey base is maintained, it can potentially hold 36 of them.
Cheetah Welfare, Capture, Holding and Transportation
to Kuno from South Africa
Though the aim of the program is to establish a population in India from source(s) in Africa, each individual cheetah is considered valuable and shall be cared for with its best welfare at the core of the program. Mechanisms for capture and translocations would attempt to make them least stressful and program implementers will remain ever mindful of animal ethics and care.
Capture of Cheetahs
Cheetahs would be captured from free-ranging conditions either by darting or in a trap cage by experienced veterinarians and trappers. Cheetah would be anaesthetized using a combination of Ketamine (2.37–3.25mg/kg body weight) and Medetomidine (0.048–0.073 mg/kg body weight) (Kreeger & Arnemo 2018) injected intramuscularly using a gas-powered projectile (Dan-Inject Aps., Sellerup Skovvej, Børkop – Denmark) dart delivery system.
Actual dosage can be decided on the spot, taking into consideration the animal’s health and condition, level of excitement, physiological status, gender, age, time of the day, and ambient temperature. Reversal agents (Atipemazole), lifesaving drugs and a well-equipped wildlife rescue vehicle would be kept handy in case of any emergency.
Transportation of Cheetahs
For international transportation from Africa by flight, standard crates according to the specifications of Live Animals Regulations of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) would be used. Transport crates of dimensions- Length 1.2m * Height 0.9m * Width 0.5m are recommended for the transport of Cheetahs.
Crates made from bounded plywood or shatter board bound with wood and have sufficient air holes that allow for good ventilation would be used. Air holes on the sides and top of the crate also allow for the Cheetah to be viewed whilst in transit. There would be adequate cushioning at the base of the crate, usually in the form of a rubber mat. Additionally, handles would be positioned around the crate in case manual unloading is necessary.
Specially customised B747 for cheetahs
The aircraft bringing the cheetahs to India has been modified to allow cages to be secured in the main cabin but will still allow vets to have full access to the cats during the flight.
It has been painted with the image of a tiger. The aircraft is an ultra-long range jet capable of flying for up to 16 hours and so can fly directly from Namibia to India without a stop to refuel, an important consideration for the well-being of the cheetahs.
Soft Release of Cheetahs in Kuno
The cheetahs would be housed, in the predator-proof fenced enclosures (Area- 6 km2, seven compartments- 0.7 to 1.1 km2 ) in Kuno NP. Male coalitions and females would be kept in separate but adjoining compartments so that they are able to know each other before release.
Kuno National Park.
The location of the enclosure is such that the cheetahs can see for some distance to understand the environment and the presence of prey and predators before release. Adequate water and shade are available in the enclosure and would be suitably augmented if needed. Natural prey within the enclosure would ensure that cheetahs become accustomed to hunting Indian prey species before their release.
Challenges
India officially requested Iran to translocate a few of the last remaining Asiatic Cheetahs decades ago. However, the Middle-Eastern Country has been reluctant. Iran had asked for a number of wild Asiatic Lions in return. The proposal was rejected by India and decades of negotiations ceased in 2010.
In 2009, the possibility of importing African Cheetahs to India was investigated. Efforts were stalled by the Supreme Court following legal notices filed by conservationists. Numerous challenges were not accounted for at the time. Firstly, the project was overshadowed by the planned translocation of Gir Lions. The potential sites of cheetah reintroduction overlapped with that of the Gir Lion translocation projects. With limited resources running thin, it made more sense to direct efforts to conserving species presently found in India
It is commendable that the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department is committed to becoming the abode of big cats. Though historically common, the coexistence of cheetahs, leopards, tigers and lions in the wild, is an ambitious dream.
Is there enough space for the cheetah reintroduction in India?
Furthermore, the state of India’s forests are incomparable to those of the 20th century. It is highly doubtful whether the depleting grasslands of India have the ability to host another predator. Only 3% of these vital habitats are listed under protected areas. In fact, these habitats are considered barren wastelands by the Central Government.
The remaining habitats are being used for highly unscientific Compensatory Afforestation Projects. Rapidly growing and water-depleting monocultures of invasive species such as Eucalyptus are replacing grasslands.
Wildlife conflict with humans is already a concern in grasslands, especially with the Indian Grey Wolf, whose population almost entirely lies outside Protected Areas. Adding cheetahs to the landscape will only exacerbate the issue further.
Another issue lies in the genetic differentiation of Asiatic and African Cheetahs. The two subspecies diverged over 100,000 years ago. As the latter species has never existed in India, concerns regarding their reintroductions have been raised. This is partly because Asiatic Cheetahs are concentrated into a tiny isolated population and African Cheetahs are an invasive species.
It is certainly an exciting time in wildlife conservation in India. Ever since the conservation revolution led by Indira Gandhi in the 1970s, India has done miracles. Will the cheetah reintroduction meet with such success?