Skip to main content

Tenth Cheetah Litter in Kuno Raises Population to 53 — But Can India’s Cheetahs Survive in the Wild?

 India’s cheetah population reaches 53 after the tenth litter in Kuno, but experts question whether births inside bomas signal real conservation success. The announcement of the tenth cheetah litter in Kuno National Park on March 9 has pushed India’s cheetah population to 53 individuals. The numbers appear impressive. Of these, 44 cheetahs are currently alive, including nine recently brought from Botswana, while 45 cubs have been born in India since the project began. Out of these births, 33 cubs are surviving and 12 have died.For a species declared extinct in India in 1952, the return of cheetah cubs is emotionally powerful. Government officials and conservation managers have understandably celebrated the milestone as proof that Project Cheetah is moving in the right direction. But is this a right perception?  Also read: 3 Years In: Unveiling the Truth About India's Cheetah Project Perhaps, No. When viewed through the lens of ecology and long-term conservation, the numbe...
Post a Comment

Controversies Chase Cheetahs In Kuno National Park

 

Controversies involving cheetah translocation in Kuno national park refuse to die down. Amidst   government denial of   cheetah pregnancy reports in a section of media, experts have raised questions over “alleged negligence on the part of Cheetah Conservation Foundation (CCF) for its failure to detect the pregnancy”. But Dr Laurie Marker of the CCF has been quoted by Indian media that,” This is true (the pregnancy) , she may be pregnant. We cannot say for sure, but it is believed so, and this would be her first litter”. “This amounts to utter negligence”, says experts and India researchers.  “How could CCF put an animal at risk? If the cheetah  named Aasha, was pregnant, why  did they  put the  pregnant animal at risk by   putting  her under stress  first by  tranquilizing a number of times, a long journey from Namibia to India  under sedation  and  then release in new environs”.Eight cheetahs were flown  from Namibia and released into the national park by the prime minister Narendra Modi on his birthday on September 17. 

 Were Cheetahs Tested for Pathogens Before Their Release 

Seasoned veterinarians examine cheetahs before quarantine for translocation; Cheetahs go through a number of pathological tests and a long vaccination process. “Was Aasha along with other cheetahs actually tested for pathogens?   Besides the PM ,other ministers and Indian researchers were exposed to the cheetahs , including Aasha, while they were released in Kuno”, asked a senior researcher in India wishing anonymity.  “Referring to the pregnancy when the CCF chief says "it is true", the whole process of medical examination of the cheetahs translocated to India becomes doubtful”, another researcher said. " This is a serious issue", he says. Dr Marker was also quoted in The Times of India,” "If Aasha is pregnant, it will be her first litter, and because she was caught in the wild, it did happen in Namibia. If she has cubs, we need to give her privacy and quiet. No people around her.” 

Also read:  Cheetah in Kuno National Park, Real Challenge Begins Now

Director of Kuno national park, PK Verma however termed it “rubbish”.  The Indian officials in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh where Kuno is located, the Wildlife Institute of India and the Union ministry of environment and forest also denied the pregnancy. They said there were tests to prove that the cheetah was pregnant. However, so far, there is no denial from Dr Marker. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall in Sheopur , the district where Kuno is located on October 7 and 8  also lashed the Kuno national park. Park authorities were concerned about the cheetahs  in small open enclosures almost without  trees.

More Questions from the Cheetah Foundation 

Besides, pregnancy issue, there are other controversies reported in media which include the infrastructural issues  and those relate to a  task force  constituted to monitor the  issues of  further release of cheetahs from one enclosure to other and then to the open jungle and also the tourism activities.  Exclusion of the experts like  Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala,  the dean of WII  and the man behind the translocation from the task  has been questioned. It was reported in a section of the media that the enclosures created for housing the Namibia cheetahs were not high enough and that cheetahs may jump out from them.  Media reports quoted the cheetah CCF experts in Kuno talking about the “infrastructural issues”. In fact, on September 28, thewildlifeindia.com, after a nod from Dr Laurie Marker, e-mailed a set of question on various issues relating to the translocation. But her response is still awaited.  

Also read: Urban Tigers On The Prowl in Bhopal 

 Among other things, we sought to know, (1)Currently India doesn’t seem to have sufficient suitable habitat (in terms of area/extent) to host a population of cheetahs, even as a meta-population. How do CCF and you plan to address this issue while sending cheetahs to India?  (2)India’s reserves are unfenced. Currently there is no record of introduction of cheetahs in unfenced habitats resulting in established populations of wild cheetahs. In other words, there is no record of the success of cheetah introduction in unfenced habitats. Your response please .(3) In light of the criticism for the project by many internationally renowned scientists, including South Africans, would continuing to engage with this introduction uncritically not damage Namibian reputation internationally? (4)  The fact that the predictions of the project proponents are that many of the introduced cheetahs will die, makes it difficult to support this introduction from an animal welfare perspective. What are your views regarding this? (5) In any reintroduction plan, the aim is to first create suitable conditions for the target species and then introduce the target species. Since India has not put in the required effort to create the suitable conditions for free-ranging cheetahs, why did Namibia and CCF send cheetahs to India and also planning to send more? In case we get her response, we will update this story.

From: Deshdeep Saxena

Cover Image Courtsey Kuno National Park 
Labels:
Location: P4W2+CMP Kuno National Park, Saran Aharwani, Madhya Pradesh 473775, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiger Corridor : Now Satpuda Melghat National Parks Connectivity At Risk

Much- hyped wildlife friendly NH7 passing   through the famous Kanha -Pench forest corridor and named after the two famous national parks should have 11.81 kms long under passes to let the wildlife have a safe passage. Instead the National Highways Authority of India (NHA) overlooked the rules and constructed only 4.41 km long underpasses compromising their dimensions.  Similarly in NH6, only 2.95 km of mitigation work was done against a schedule 8 kms length. Not everybody knows this truth.  Now NHAI seems to be completely violating the Wildlife (Protection) act 1973 while constructing a road patch on NH46 ( Hoshangabad -Betul). This is a functional tiger corridor connecting Melghat and Satpura tiger reserves. Now the connectivity is also as threatened as the tiger itself.  No Lessons Learnt From NH6 Kanha- Pench Corridor The reduced length of structures in  MH6  and NH7  -connecting East with the West and  North with the South  respect...
2 comments
Read more

The Legacy of White Tigers - Mohan, Virat to Mukundpur Safari

Scion of Rewa royals, Pushpraj Singh fondly remembers the legacy of white tigers. He had seen the legendary Mohan - the white tiger captured by his father Martand Singh Judeo from  Mukundpur  forest region. He also remembers vividly, Virat- Mohan’s progeny. Mohan is considered a progenitor of all known white tigers in the world. Like his father, Pushparaj is passionate about wildlife conservation. The Legacy of White Tigers- Mohan, Virat to Mukundpur Safari During my childhood, way back in the mid 60s, I used to return back from Bombay (Now Mumbai), for summer vacations to Rewa, my native place and major lures awaiting me would be mangoes and the   white tiger at Govindgarh fort   as well as the visit to the Bandhavgarh tiger reserve. I had never imagined that one summer holiday would mark the end of one of the major attractions, the white tiger era when in 1972-73 my father, Maharaja Martand Singh Judeo decided to close the curtains on keeping this beautiful anima...
2 comments
Read more

Kuno Cheetah Deaths: What Recent Incidents Reveal About India’s Conservation Effort

Multiple cheetah deaths in Kuno raise questions about habitat limits, prey scarcity, and management. A data-driven look at the challenges facing India’s cheetah project T wo back-to-back cheetah deaths—one from a suspected collision inside the forest and another caused by a speeding vehicle—have once again pushed the spotlight onto the ambitious yet troubled cheetah introduction project in Kuno National Park . While officials have issued preliminary statements, the absence of publicly released post-mortem and investigation reports related to the past such cases has deepened concerns about transparency at a time when clarity is essential. The recent incidents highlight the ecological and management challenges that continue to shape the project’s uncertain trajectory. Each Loss Is Significant Setback On December 5, Friday, one of Veera’s cubs recently released into the open forest, died after reportedly separating from its mother. Just two days later, on December 7, another young cheetah...
1 comment
Read more