Disease-free, behaviourally sound — not overly imprinted to humans but tolerant — predators-wary, and capable of hunting wild prey. These are ‘some’ of the ‘qualities’ that the Government is looking for in Cheetahs that it plans to bring from abroad in the country as part of its wildcat reintroduction plan.
Other qualities that the Cheetahs should have is that they should be in the reproductive age and “socially tolerant of each other”, said an official from the Union Ministry of Environment Ministry. It implies that the 12 to 14 cheetahs that are intended to be brought from South Africa/Namibia/Other African Countries over a period of five years should not be “hostile to each other,” explained the official.
The Ministry has plans to fit such introduced cheetah with satellite/GSM-GPS-VHF radio-collars before their release in the wild so as to enable monitoring remotely.
Under the 'Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India' the Government is mulling to introduce at least 50 Cheetahs in various national parks over five years.
The Ministry is in the process of holding consultation meetings with African countries for bringing Cheetah.
About 12-14 wild Cheetahs (8-10 males and 4-6 females) for establishing a new cheetah population would be imported, as a founder stock for five years initially and then as may be required by the program, as per the official.
Cheetah is the only large carnivore to have become extinct in the 1950s in India. Initially, the plan to reintroduce cheetahs was in 2021, however, it got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea to bring back the species was first conceived in 2009 by the then Union Environment Minister Jairam ramesh.
Under the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger, Rs. 38.70 crore has been allocated to the cheetah introduction project for the years 2021-22 to 2025-26, said Union Environment Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey.
“The primary aim is to establish a free-ranging population of cheetahs in and around KNP in Madhya Pradesh. Further, this population in KNP will be managed as a metapopulation with other two to three established populations of cheetah in India with occasional 'immigrants' brought in from Africa, as and when needed," notes the Action Plan document prepared by the Ministry to initiate Cheetah reintroduction plan in the country.
The other sites recommended for holding and conservation breeding of cheetah in India, in controlled wild conditions are Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary – Bhainsrorgarh Wildlife Sanctuary , both in Madhya Pradesh, Shahgarh bulge in Jaisalmer, Mukundara Tiger Reserve, both in Rajasthan.