India's Cheetah Reintroduction

IN NEWS:

• Recently, the Supreme Court disposed of the application alleging the government was not taking effective steps to prevent the deaths of cheetahs in Kuno National Park.
• The court said that this area should be left to experts in the field as it does not possess any expertise on the matter. However, the Apex Court orally stated that the number of deaths recorded so far is not low.

MORE ON NEWS:

• The project of cheetah reintroduction by the Indian government became one of the most historic wildlife projects in the country, but out of the 20 cheetahs brought to India, nine, including three newborns, have died due to ailments.
• Eight cheetahs have been brought from Namibia and 12 from South Africa.

CHEETAH’S REINTRODUCTION PROGRAMME:

• In India, the Cheetah’s population got completely wiped out in the early 1950s, mainly due to over-hunting and habitat loss.
• Under the ‘Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah in India’, cheetahs is brought from African countries to various national parks over the few years.
• As per agreement, 12 Cheetah’s are translocated to India from South Africa.
• The Cheetah’s were reintroduced at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, where eight such cats were brought from Namibia in 2022 under a similar agreement.
• The initial batch of cheetahs from South Africa will be followed by the transport of batches of 12 annually for “eight to 10 years”.

WHY WERE CHEETAHS REINTRODUCED IN THE COUNTRY?

• Restore grassland ecosystems:
  • Cheetahs will help restore open forest and grassland ecosystems in the country. According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) data, India has already lost 31 percent of grasslands within a decade.
  • Plant-eating herbivores in excess leads to overgrazing, which shrinks the size of grasslands.
  • Cheetahs are at the top of the food chain and are natural predators in grasslands and they ensure the biodiversity and sustainability of the ecosystem by hunting down herbivores like antelopes. 

• To conserve natural heritage:
  • The reintroduction of the cheetah, the only large carnivore made extinct in independent India by human actions, is part of the government’s commitment to conserving our natural heritage.
• Ensuring the survival of the fittest:
  • Unlike the ambush predators like tigers, leopards and lions, the cheetah hunts by chasing its prey and thereby removes the sick, old, as well as young from the population, ensuring the survival of the fittest and keeping the prey population healthy. 
  • For instance, the cheetah served as an evolutionary force and was responsible for the fast speed of the blackbuck, its major prey.
• Successful philosophy behind project tiger:
  • The philosophy of Project Tiger, which uses the tiger as a flagship to garner resources for conserving intact ecosystems, is that a top carnivore at the apex of the food chain can sustain its population when lower trophic levels are functioning optimally.
  • Several ecosystems in India do not have tigers; cheetahs could serve as a flagship for conservation there.
• Livelihood opportunities through eco development:
  • Reintroduction of Cheetah will lead to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community through eco-development and ecotourism activities.
  • For instance, if reintroduction is successful, Kuno Palpur will become the only wildlife sanctuary in the world to host all four major cat species-lion, tiger, cheetah, and leopard—and may attract tourists.
  • Community-based ecotourism, sharing of gate receipts with buffer zone villages, and an increase in real estate with the arrival of cheetahs are some direct economic benefits to local people if schemes are implemented prudently and equitably.

CHALLENGES AND CONCERNS:

• Need to survive the competition:
  • Currently, the reintroduced cheetahs face no competition from other comparable predators such as lions and leopards.
  • So it takes time to see whether the animals can successfully establish themselves in India over time.
• Cheetahs need wide-ranging habitats:
  • Numerous wildlife and conservation specialists have criticized the project, arguing that Kuno National Park might not be an appropriate habitat for supporting a significant cheetah population.
  • This is because cheetahs usually need wide-ranging habitats covering hundreds of square kilometres to wander freely. Whereas, Kuno's area is less than 500 square miles.
  • Also, the prey base mentioned in the Cheetah Action Plan is also far smaller in reality, as per the experts the prey base was claimed to be 60 per square km, which is now revised to 17-20 per sq km.
• Human animal conflict:
  • Experts have cautioned that as the spatial ecology of African cheetahs was not properly taken into account when they were introduced to India, there may have been conflicts with the populations in adjacent villages.
  • The nation today already faces the issue of human animal conflict where protected species and people coexist.
• Conservation of indigenous threatened species:
  • Due to environmental degradation and climate change, wildlife species in India are under severe stress. In this condition, it is prudent to use funds to conserve threatened species rather than the re-introduction of species.
  • Several experts have opined that the Cheetah re-introduction is a case of misplaced priorities; instead the government should focus on using indigenous species as flagships and investing in their conservation.
  • For instance,  some environmentalists argue that the indigenous threatened species of the grassland and deciduous forests like wolves, caracal, blackbuck, bustards, four-horned antelopes, honey badger and chinkara could be protected through government support and investment rather than bringing back the cheetah.

WHAT ARE THE SUSPECTED CAUSES OF DEATH OF THE REINTRODUCED CHEETAHS?

• Radio collar and climate:
  • Speculations are that the deaths of cheetahs may be linked to the use of radio collars. It is believed that the humid and wet weather conditions could have caused skin inflammation under the collars, attracting flies and leading to life-threatening infections. 
  • Reintroduced cheetahs come from Southern Africa, which currently has a cold dry winter, in response to which the animals developed a winter coat. Their physiological cycle is still tuned to the photoperiod of southern latitudes.
  • On the other hand, in Kuno, they experienced a hot and humid climate, their winter fur accumulated moisture and the radio collars aggravated the condition, making their skin itchy and delicate. Scratching resulted in wounds that were infected by maggots.
  • However, the government has denied these claims, stating that the deaths were due to natural causes.
• Extended periods in quarantine:
  • Also, experts have pointed out that having cheetahs for extended periods in quarantine has affected their adaptive capabilities and caused them to have psychological adjustment problems, making them more vulnerable. 
• Cheetahs are delicate animals.
  • Unlike other predators like tigers and leopards, cheetahs are relatively delicate animals and are more likely to be fatally injured in the wild. 
• Management and upkeep of cheetahs:
  • According to various media reports the cubs died due to starvation, and Surya, the fifth adult male cheetah to die, was reportedly underweight too.
  • Many questions are being raised by critics about the management and upkeep of cheetahs as proper intervention could have been made to avoid cubs dying of starvation. 

CONCLUSION:

• As suggested by the experts, regular health checks and early detection of health issues by further improving the monitoring and upkeep of the animals can help prevent future deaths. Also, following best practices in cheetah conservation from counties like South Africa and Namibia could make some positive outcomes.
• While officials say that there is enough space and prey in the Kuno reserve, it would be prudent to develop a second reserve in Gandhisagar, Madhya Pradesh and also establish a cheetah rehabilitation centre.
• As suggested by experts for the reintroduction of the cheetah project to be a success, patience and time are the essential elements before any conclusions are drawn.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. "The cheetah reintroduction project is still in progress and it would be premature to judge its success or failure within a year". Discuss.