Project Cheetah's second year to focus on breeding, cheetah selection strategies

Besides importing another bunch of cheetahs from South Africa next year, India will set up a dedicated breeding centre and a research unit for the animal, besides launching a cheetah safari, a top government official said on Saturday as the world’s first trans-continental translocation programme completes one year.

“Conservation breeding of Cheetah Centre, Cheetah Research Centre, Interpretation Centre, Cheetah Management Training Centre and Cheetah Safari are being planned,” SP Yadav, member secretary National Tiger Conservation Authority, the implementing agency for Project Cheetah, told DH.

A year back the first two of the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia were released in Kuno national park by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A few months later, another 12 were transported from South Africa. Out of 20 animals, six died while the rest are in an enclosure following the detection of skin infections in three.

In addition, a female cheetah gave birth to four cubs but three of them died on a single day. “The surviving cub is now six months old and doing well, showing a normal growth pattern,” he said.

Yadav, the Additional Director General of Forests at the Union Environment Ministry, said in the second year, the project's focus would be on breeding these animals.

"The first thing that comes to my mind is the breeding of cheetahs. And if we can expect more litter, the cubs born on Indian soil can better adapt to Indian situations,” he said. “Once the breeding takes place, we will understand how the population will behave in our country. The main thing next year will be more cubs on the soil of Bharat,” he said.

Experts outside the government have suggested using Mukundara Hills as a conservation breeding centre, but the ministry is not in favour of the Rajasthan park.

"Mukundra is a tiger reserve. But even tiger introduction in that area has not succeeded. Two adult tigers and cubs have died because of heavy parasitic load and tick infection. I don't think right now Mukundra is prepared to receive or successfully harbour cheetahs," Yadav said.

While the exact location for the planned centres are yet to be finalised, sources said they would come up inside Kuno National Park and the two other sites – Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and Nauradehi sanctuary. Gandhi sagar is expected to be ready by the end of this year.

On the cheetah safari, there are reports that the Central Zoo Authority has approved such a package for tourists at Kuno. The animals which will not survive in the wild will be a part of the safari. The Union Environment Ministry, however, didn’t respond to DH queries on the safari.

“New proposals include the creation of a cheetah safari, essentially a drive-through zoo, spanning 150 hectares in the Kuno region. Furthermore, work is underway in setting up a fenced reserve specifically for cheetahs in Gandhi Sagar. These new directions deviate from the core mission of reintroducing and sustaining free-ranging wild cheetah populations in India,” commented Arjun Gopalswamy, chief scientist at Carnassials Global, who studies big cats like lions and cheetahs.