New Delhi: The second phase of India’s Cheetah Project — a programme initiated by the government in September 2022 to restore the population of cheetahs in the country — is likely to begin by the end of the year, ThePrint has learnt. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is holding discussions to finalise the countries from which cheetahs will be sourced.
“The existing cheetahs are acclimatising, and we have not heard of any health deterioration in the last few months. By this year-end, we can commence the phase 2 of Project Cheetah,” an official of the environment ministry told ThePrint.
The official added that for the next phase, India is exploring sourcing the cheetahs from countries other than South Africa and Namibia. A delegation from Kenya has visited India, but officials said no concrete decision was taken in the meetings on sourcing cheetahs. However, Kenya remains a possible country from where cheetahs can be sourced in phase 2.
Between September 2022 and February 2023, 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa were brought to India’s Kuno National Park. Despite the ambitious plan to fit the cheetah in its unique ecological role within the carnivore hierarchy to enhance ecosystem health in India, 11 cheetahs have already lost their lives in the country since the programme was introduced.
These include seven adults and four cubs.
A five-month-old cheetah cub died at Kuno Monday morning. In a statement Monday, the environment ministry said that the cub was found to be paralysed in its hind on 29 July. Despite medical care, the cub died.
Plans for phase 2
The reasons behind the cheetahs’ deaths ranged from cardiac arrests and renal failures to traumatic shock and heat stroke.
Officials said that for the project’s second phase, the government plans to source around 12 to 15 cheetahs. Apart from Kuno National Park, the new batch will also be introduced in two additional habitats — Gandhi Sagar and Nauradehi wildlife sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh.
The focus now will also be on breeding these animals.
“Every year for at least the next five years, a new batch of around 10-12 cheetahs will be introduced from different countries to ensure a healthy population,” the official quoted above said.
According to the Action Plan for the Introduction of Cheetah in India, the estimated project cost for the first phase, which has a duration of five years, is Rs 91.65 crore.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
Also read: Scientists identify Ladakh as potential analogue research site to conduct Moon, Mars mission studies