Madhya Pradesh (The Stellar News): Almost 79 years after the last cheetahs were hunted to local extinction in India, eight are to be relocated from Namibia and South Africa to a national park in the north of the country.
The return of the world’s fastest land animal will be India’s first international big cat reintroduction project and will help to ensure the species’ long term survival, following ruthless hunting which by the 20th century meant they had been wiped out from over 90% of their historical range.
The cheetahs will be released in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, 200 miles south of New Delhi, 130 miles of southeast of Jaipur, which has a blend of grassland and forest areas. Five male cheetahs and three females will be donated by Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) of South Africa. The EWTs national cheetah meta-population manager Vincent Van Der Merwe visited Kuno National Park to assess the preparations and suitable habitat for cheetahs this month and said it was highly suitable.
An official from Madhya Pradesh’s state government told, “The expert Merwe said Kuno has perfect grasslands and prey base for the cheetahs. We have started preparation for translocation”. Indian central government has allocated 140m rupees for the project, which will be used for fencing at the park, transportation of the animals, training for staff at the park, and other preparatory work.
The reintroduction project was delayed due to the Covid-19 but the officials said they have hoped to have the cheetahs in the park by September. The current carrying capacity of the Kuno National Park is a maximum of 21 cheetahs. The capacity can be enhanced by including the remaining part of the Kuno Wildlife Division (1,280 sq km) through prey restoration, the ministry said.
Report: Deepanjot Kaur (Under Training)
