Cheetahs to return to India 70 years after going extinct
Till 1952, there were still a few cheetahs left in India. But since the mid-1950’s, the fastest land animal has disappeared from our country. The survival rate of cheetah cubs was anyway low. And unfortunately, most India nobles hunted the big cats relentlessly to decorate their drawing rooms, and even clothes, with the glossy spotted fur. The cheetah, a native of African and Asia, had better luck in other regions though, and their numbers are recovering in Africa. Given this, the government of India is about to adopt African cheetahs, and bring them to live in India!
The world’s first inter-continental cheetah relocation is about to happen
This bold move has been planned since 2009. But it’s not easy to plan it, let alone do it, because translocation of extinct species mostly ends in failure. This is because the new climate, food, hunting condition and fellow animals do not suit the newcomer. Sometimes, the animals start moving out of the unfamiliar jungles towards human habitat out of fear, inviting tragic deaths of man and animal. But Indian and African cheetahs have been related sub species for the last 72,000 years. This increases their chances of survival in India, though it’s still not a fail-proof plan. The spot was also finalised earlier, but got stalled die to the pandemic. 50 cheetahs are to land in India from Namibia (Africa) in small groups, spread over the next 5 years, starting 2022.
The 2022 batch of cheetahs are to come to Madhya Pradesh
Several forests have been earmarked in India to host the African cheetahs. The first 8 will come this year to Kuno National Park (KNP) of Madhya Pradesh. KNP has a vast stretch of lightly wooded grasslands for 730 square km. This is somewhat similar to the African landscape the cheetahs are used to. There are also a lot of small animals there, so the cats won’t starve. But cheetahs actually need 5000 to 10,000 square km as ‘home’ so KNP is quite a tiny patch.
Hopes are being pinned on the cheetahs to create families in India
Cheetahs are relatively more adaptable animals than many other big cats. A successful relocation of cheetahs happened inside the African continent. 4 cheetahs were moved in 2017, and they have now grown to a population of 24. Mixed batches of males and female cheetahs are to arrive in India. The government is starting with a small batch, and will bring up to 14 cheetahs at a go if they manage to survive. Let’s hope we will see cheetahs dashing through our forests again.