Syllabus: GS3/ Environment
In News
- India and Botswana formally announced the translocation of eight Cheetahs to India as a part of ‘Project Cheetah’.
About
- India declared the cheetah extinct in 1952, after decades of over-hunting, habitat fragmentation, and depletion of prey species.
- The launch of Project Cheetah in 2022 and the arrival of cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa created the world’s first intercontinental relocation programme for a large carnivore.
- And, Botswana, a landlocked country with nearly 70% of its landmass covered by the Kalahari Desert, holds one of the world’s largest wild cheetah populations.
Project Cheetah
- Overview: Project Cheetah is India’s ambitious attempt to reintroduce the cheetah in suitable open forest and grassland ecosystems.
- Launched By: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended 2006).
- Objective: To reintroduce cheetahs into India’s grassland ecosystems and establish a viable, free-ranging cheetah population.
- Global First: It is the world’s first intercontinental translocation of a large wild carnivore.
- Translocations So Far:
- 8 cheetahs from Namibia in 2022
- 12 cheetahs from South Africa in 2023
- 8 cheetahs from Botswana (2025 announcement)
Significance of Reintroducing the Cheetah
- Ecological Restoration: Cheetahs, as apex predators, help regulate prey populations and maintain the health of grassland and open forest ecosystems. Their reintroduction is expected to restore ecological balance and revive degraded grassland biomes.
- Biodiversity Conservation: The cheetah serves as a flagship and umbrella species, helping conserve not only its prey-base but also other endangered species in grassland and semi-arid ecosystems.
- Sustainable Livelihoods: The project aims to boost ecotourism and create economic opportunities for local communities through eco-development and conservation-driven activities.
- Global Conservation: Project Cheetah contributes to the global effort to conserve the cheetah species, especially the vulnerable African cheetah and the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah.
Concerns and Challenges
- Habitat Suitability: Kuno is relatively small for a long-term, self-sustaining cheetah population.
- High Mortality: Several deaths (disease, conflict, heat stress) have been recorded since 2023 have raised questions about preparedness, disease screening, and enclosure design.
- Human–Wildlife Conflict: Cheetahs may venture into farmland due to porous boundaries. India lacks a historical memory of living with cheetahs, creating management gaps.
- Climate and Ecological Mismatch: African cheetahs are adapted to open savannahs; India’s landscapes are patchier. India’s prey density still needs improvement in some sites.
| About the Cheetah – The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is the world’s fastest mammal and the only large carnivore to have gone extinct in India (1952). – Unlike other big cats, cheetahs do not roar. – There are two main species: the African cheetah (Vulnerable) and the Asiatic cheetah (Critically Endangered), found only in eastern Iran and parts of Africa. |
Source: TH
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