India plans to introduce 50 cheetahs in 5 years
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, in a statement, said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on protection and conservation of seven major big cats... Cheetah numbering 50 over a period of five years will be introduced in various parks.”
The Union government on Wednesday launched an action plan under which 50 cheetahs will be introduced in the country in the next five years.
According to an ‘Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India’, released by the environment ministry during the 19th meeting of National Tiger Conservation Authority on Wednesday, a cohort of around 12 to 14 cheetahs will be imported from South Africa or Namibia and each of them will be fitted with a satellite-GPS-very high frequency radio-collar.
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, in a statement, said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on protection and conservation of seven major big cats... Cheetah numbering 50 over a period of five years will be introduced in various parks.”
International transportation will be done by either a commercial airline or by a chartered flight following which the wild cats will be transported to Kuno Palpur National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh. Officials who attended the meeting said cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal, was expected to be reintroduced into the country in November 2021 but the plan got derailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The team and preparations are ready to take up translocation after the third wave recedes, the officials added. “The animals’ lineage and condition shall be checked in the host country to ensure that they are not from an excessively inbred stock and are in the ideal age group, so as to conform to the needs of a founding population,” said the over 300-page plan.
As per the plan, the Union government, along with ministry of environment and the Cheetah Task Force, will create a formal framework to collaborate with governments of Namibia and/or South Africa, through the ministry of external affairs.
Anish Andheria, president of Wildlife Conservation Trust, said, “I think the ministry should start exploring other larger, more open habitats in Gujarat and Rajasthan and prepare them for cheetah introduction in 10 years by improving wild prey base and spreading awareness...”
