SYLLABUS
GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
Context:
During the President of India’s state visit to Botswana, the country formally announced the translocation of eight cheetahs to India as a part of Project Cheetah.
Translocation So Far
In September 2022, eight cheetahs from Namibia were brought to a special enclosure in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, marking the world’s first intercontinental translocation of a large wild carnivore.
- In February 2023, twelve more cheetahs from South Africa joined them in India.
As part of the latest translocation, Botswana has handed over eight additional cheetahs, currently undergoing quarantine at the Mokolodi Reserve and expected to reach India in the coming weeks.
India now has 27 cheetahs, including 16 born on Indian soil.
- 24 Cheetahs are at Kuno National Park.
- 3 Cheetahs are at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS).
Since the project began:
- 19 cheetahs (9 imported adults + 10 India-born cubs) have died due to various causes.
- 26 cubs have been born in Kuno so far.
After importing 20 African cheetahs (Namibia + South Africa), India currently has a net gain of 7 cheetahs over the initial number.
Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh is being developed as India’s third site for cheetahs.
About the Project Cheetah
- Launched in September 2022, the project aims to reintroduce cheetahs, which became extinct in India in 1952, and restore their ecological role in grassland and open forest ecosystems.
- It is the world’s first intercontinental translocation of a large wild carnivore species, focusing on establishing a self-sustaining, free-ranging cheetah population.
About Cheetah
- It is the only large carnivore species that went extinct in Independent India.
- Cheetahs thrive in open grasslands, savannas, and arid areas where they can use their speed to hunt prey like gazelles and antelope.
African Cheetah:
- The African cheetah has a slender, long-legged body with a tawny to creamy white coat covered in evenly spaced black spots.
- IUCN status: Vulnerable
Asiatic Cheetah:
- The Asiatic cheetah is slender, with buff-to-light fawn-coloured fur and distinctive black spots arranged in lines on the head and nape.
- IUCN status: Critically Endangered
Implementation agencies:
- National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
- Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
- Madhya Pradesh Forest Department
- International cheetah experts
- The project integrates habitat restoration, biodiversity conservation, ecotourism, and community involvement, including awareness programmes and conflict mitigation.
Significance of Re-introducing Cheetahs in India
- Restoration of a keystone predator: Helps regulate herbivore populations, preventing overgrazing and maintaining vegetation health.
- Strengthening grassland ecosystems: Cheetahs serve as a flagship species for the conservation of India’s neglected grasslands, scrublands, and open forests.
- Promoting trophic cascades: Their presence can trigger positive cascading impacts across the food chain, enhancing biodiversity and ecological resilience.
- Supporting other endangered species: Protection measures for cheetah habitats benefit other threatened fauna sharing the same landscapes.
- Boosting local livelihoods: Ecotourism and community-led conservation can generate sustainable employment and economic diversification for local communities