India to get 100 Cheetahs from South Africa: why is it important to protect the big cat?

By: Yash Gupte

The cheetah is being introduced into India as part of Project Cheetah, the world's first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.

In an effort to repopulate the big cat in the country, India intends to import more than 100 cheetahs from South Africa. There are reports that the Indian government and the South African administration have agreed to send more cheetahs. The contract to relocate 12 cheetahs to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh has already been inked with South Africa. After South Africa's environment ministry struck a contract with New Delhi, the first 12- seven males and five females are most likely to arrive within a month. According to the South African Environment Ministry, “The cheetahs will translocate to the country for the next eight to 10 years to help establish a viable and secure cheetah population.” The pact was signed between India and South Africa and seven male and five female cheetahs are expected to reach Kuno by February 15, 2023.

India recently welcomed eight cheetahs in MP’s national park from the African country of Namibia as a part of an intercontinental translocation project under an agreement signed between India and Namibia last year after 12 years of negotiations. In 1952, the cheetah was declared extinct in India. The cheetah is being introduced into India as part of Project Cheetah, the world's first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project. Experts are of the opinion that the Indian climate is suitable for the rapid growth in population of cheetahs over the years.

The Kuno national park in Madhya Pradesh is home to wide variety of flora and fauna. Kuno National Park which is mainly dominated by Kardhai, Salai, Khair trees among the mixed forests, supports a wide variety of both floral and faunal species. It has a rich biodiversity having a total of 123 species of trees, 71 species of shrubs, 32 species of climbers & exotic species, 34 species of bamboos and grasses, 33 species of mammals, 206 species of birds, 14 species of fishes, 33 species of reptiles and 10 species of amphibians. Chousingha or Four-horned antelope, Gaur or Indian Bison, Sloth bear, Striped Hyena and Barking deer or Indian Muntjac are some of the main animals found in the Kuno national park.

The number of cheetahs in the world has been decreasing at an alarming rate. The chart below shows the number of cheetahs over the years.

Cheetahs, one of the oldest big cat species with ancestors dating back to about 8.5 million years, were once widely dispersed throughout Asia and Africa. Until the 20th century, Cheetahs roamed all the way from Israel, the Arabian Peninsula to Iran, Afghanistan and India. In India, they ranged as far south as the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. It is believed that that there were nearly 10,000 Asiatic cheetahs at one point of time. However, over the years, the species reported rapid decline in India. The big cat was a favorite hunting trophy for the kings and was often kept by the princes to hunt gazelle and blackbucks. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the species was heading for extinction in India. The big cat was last spotted in the country in 1952 in eastern Madhya Pradesh.

Worldwide, the cheetah has been driven out of 91 percent of its historic range. As a result of human development, cheetah numbers are estimated to have dropped from 100,000 in 1900 to 7,100 in 2016. Their population is now confined predominantly to six African countries: Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, and Mozambique. A small population of the big cat resides in Iran.

Cheetahs are listed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and with the population on continuous decline there is a call from conservationist to up list it to Endangered.”