Almost six months after India brought eight Cheetahs from Namibia in one of the biggest intercontinental translocations of a carnivore ever, it is ready to welcome 12 more, this time, from South Africa. But before they land, the wildlife experts will review if the first batch is now ready for release into the wild.
The decision would be taken in a crucial meeting of the Cheetah Task Force set to be held on Tuesday.
Ever since they were translocated, the five female and three male cats have remained within the safe limits of the ‘bomas’ (predator-proof enclosures) especially created for them in the national park. The availability of natural prey within the enclosure helped the African cats to get accustomed to hunting Indian prey species.
While a soft-release like this gives them time to adapt to the new environment, the actual test starts when they are freed to hunt on their own in the grasslands and open forests of Kuno. On Tuesday, the government-constituted Cheetah Task Force would get down to discuss whether the cats are now ready take the next big leap.
“So far, they have been relatively protected in the enclosures, but once they are released in the wild, it will not be as easy,” Dr YV Jhala, senior scientist at the forefront of Project Cheetah told News18. “The next few months are extremely crucial for the cheetahs. Bringing them to India was just an initial step, but the bigger challenge is to ensure they remain healthy and survive.”
The Task Force would also review the health status of the eight felines all aged between two to five years old. While most of them seemed to have taken well to the environment according to officials, one of them – a female had to cope with serious illness. The female cat developed acute renal complication and narrowly survived.
Apart from their health, the members would also review the protection status of the entire area and whether it is poaching-free in order to ensure safety of the cheetahs once they are released. It is the first time in almost seven decades that the cheetahs are present in India’s forests, and there are concerns. The release of the felines would also depend on whether there is availability of sufficient prey base in the area for cheetahs to hunt.
KUNO GEARS UP TO WELCOME 12 MORE
Meanwhile, Kuno National Park is gearing up to welcome another 12 cheetahs from South Africa on September 18. The seven male and five females would be airlifted from South Africa to Gwalior, from where they will be transported to Kuno National Park – as was done last September.
On arrival to India, cheetahs would be quarantined for the first few months in predator-proof enclosures and monitored for manifestation of any sickness as per the regulation of import of live animals. “We have already created 10 additional bomas (enclosures) for the cheetah. Two of them are in coalition and likely to stay together,” district forest officer Prakash Verma told News18.
The phase-wise translocation is part of India’s mega plan to establish a free-ranging, breeding founder population of cheetahs in the country. India had lost its native cheetah population almost seven decades ago to hunting and loss of habitat. Following the import of the 12 cheetahs, India plans to translocate a further 12 annually for the next eight to 10 years.
By bringing back a top predator, the government also plans to save its prey base comprising certain threatened species, as well as other endangered species of the grasslands / open forest ecosystems, some of which are on the brink of extinction.
Spread across an area of 748 sq km, the national park in Madhya Pradesh can house as many as 21 cheetahs at present, according to the government estimate.
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