One Year Since Namibian Cheetahs Were Brought To India, How Safe Is Their Future Here?
India witnessed an unprecedented spectacle -- after a build-up of weeks, on TV and social media, for the first intercontinental species reintroduction programmes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself released them to their enclosures in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
On September 17, 2022, India witnessed an unprecedented spectacle -- after a build-up of weeks, on TV and social media, eight Namibian Cheetahs touched down on Indian soil, for the first intercontinental species reintroduction programmes.
It was nothing short of a celebration and Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself released them to their enclosures in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
BCCL
Project Cheetah
KNP was reportedly chosen as the home for the Namibian Cheetahs because it consists of vast grasslands, open forest patches, and hills, similar to their natural habitat in Africa.
The eight Cheetahs (three males and five females) were brought to India as part of Project Cheetah, which aimed to reintroduce the big cats that officially became extinct in the country in 1952.
BCCL
In February 2023, 12 more Cheethas, this time from South Africa were flown. to India, and housed in KNP.
Where did the planning go wrong?
Project Cheetah envisioned having a healthy, self-sustaining population of cheetahs in India, but if their first year is anything to go by, we have much more to do before we can call it a success.
At one point, it had become so worrying to the point that some wildlife scientists and carnivore ecologists called it an ill-advised conservation attempt.
AP
In an article published in ¡®Nature Ecology and Evolution¡¯, in October, scientists and experts argued that there has not been sufficient consultation with experts in cheetah ecology and large carnivore conservation prior to undertaking the relocation of cheetahs
¡°The plan ignores crucial scientific findings from important, recent demographic studies on free-ranging cheetahs. This can prove to be a costly mistake because the cheetah carrying capacities assumed in the plan relies entirely on projections made from a single, likely flawed, density estimate from Namibia from over a decade ago,¡± Dr. Arjun M Gopalaswamy, a wildlife and statistical ecologist, had said.
Reuters
Reintroduction or introduction of Cheetahs?
Experts argue that overhaul is needed, right from the planning to the vision for the future, as there are many gaps in the current one, that need to be addressed soon before Project Cheetah moves forward.
Some have argued that it is not a reintroduction, but the introduction of a species, as Asiatic cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) that once roamed India are not the same species as African Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) which are being introduced now.
AP
"It is not translocation¡¯ or ¡®reintroduction¡¯. Translocation is defined as capturing and moving free-ranging animals from one ¡®wild¡¯ location for release in another ¡®wild¡¯ location which is not what is happening now. India never had African cheetahs, hence terming it reintroduction is incorrect as mentioned by the Supreme Court in its order of January 2020. The release of African cheetahs in India should be termed ¡®introduction¡¯," Ravi Chellam, CEO, Metastring Foundation and coordinator, of Biodiversity Collaborative, said.
Did Cheetah's get the right home
This technicality aside, the experience so far suggests that KNP is, probably not the ideal home for Cheethas, as the deaths of at least three translocated adults and three cubs born in India have been blamed on their failure to adapt to the new climate.
AP
"Three of the adult cheetah deaths in India are attributable to the climatic conditions, seasonal coat issues and perhaps the high parasite load. The cheetahs need some veterinary support to get through this tough monsoon period, but once their coat and immune systems have had a chance to adapt," Professor Adrian SW Tordiffe, the Director of Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital, said.
Cheetahs need time to adapt
Tordiffe, however, added that Cheetahs have adapted to very different environments across southern Africa, and they could do it in India as well.
"Structurally, the habitat in India is not really an issue, but the seasons, rainfall patterns, and parasites are. The animals need a period of time to adapt. This would have been largely true even if individuals from the Asiatic subspecies were brought to India from Iran for the reintroduction," he said.
AP
Can second home save Project Cheetah?
Following the nine deaths in nearly six months, which is unacceptable for an endangered species, many have called for a review of the project or at least to find a second home for Cheetahs in India, outside Kuno.
Tordiffe, while being optimistic about Kuno, said it is good to have more than one habitat for Cheetahs in India.
"I think the cheetahs will do very well in Kuno, but it is always a good idea to expand the project to a few more reserves in India. It is important that other release sites are prepared...and not only in Madhya Pradesh," he said.
KNP
Don't import more Cheetahs now
Currently, there are fifteen Cheetahs in Kuno, including the fourteen translocated ones and the only surviving female cub born in India, which is now around six months old.
They are far from being free-ranging cheetahs and are still confined to the larger enclosure. And to have a self-sustaining population of Cheetahs with a diverse gene pool, India is dependent on importing more from Africa, for the foreseeable future. But according to Chellam, it is too early to get more Cheetahs.
"We will be compounding our errors by importing more African cheetahs. We need to locate and secure sufficient suitable habitat of about 5,000 sq.km. and ecologically restore them before importing more cheetahs," Chellam, a wildlife conservationist and one of India's top experts on Asiatic lions, said.
KNP
Timing of translocation matters
Last month, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had promised to donate more cheetahs to India over a period of ten years.
Tordiffe said that the timing of the translocation would be the key to their survival.
"I think it would be wise to translocate the next batch of cheetahs from South Africa to India in May or early June next year, so that they can spend the monsoon season in a more controlled environment (quarantine and acclimatization camps) before being released into the wild in September 2024. South Africa certainly has several more cheetahs available to send next year, but the exact numbers and timing of the translocation of the next batch has not yet been decided," he said.
BCCL
India can have self-sustaining Cheetah population
Despite the setbacks in the one year, Tordiffe said he was confident that Project Cheetah is on the right path and India could have a self-sustaining population of Cheetahs.
"There are still 14 adult cheetahs alive in India out of the 20 translocated from southern Africa. I think we have been through the most difficult period of the project and I would expect the situation to stabilise over the next few months. I think there is definitely a good chance of successfully establishing cheetahs in India, but much of this depends on the level of cooperation between all the organisations and political entities involved. The reintroduction process also needs to be led by ongoing research and adaptive management. If that is done properly, I believe the cheetahs have a good chance," he said.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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