Wildlife of India |
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Cheetah reintroduction in India is a programme initiated by Government of India to re-introduce cheetahs to India after they became locally extinct more than 70 years ago. The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) whose range once included most of India were driven to extinction locally with the last known sightings recorded in early 1950s.
After the cheetahs became locally extinct, various studies were done and multiple plans have been made to re-introduce cheetahs back into the wild. This included initial plans to re-introduce the asiatic cheetah from Iran in the 1970s which were shelved due to political instability in Iran and the dwindling population of the species in the existent range. Since the late 1980s, further plans were made to introduce members of related sub-species Southeast African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus). In 2022, as a part of Project Cheetah, cheetahs flown in from Namibia and South Africa were introduced to Kuno National Park in India.
The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) once ranged from the north western India to the Gangetic plain on the east, extending to the Deccan Plateau in the south. [1] [2] In the Middle Ages, Mughal rulers supposedly used cheetahs for coursing blackbucks, chinkaras and antelopes. [3] [4] Trapping of sub-adult cheetahs that have learned hunting skills from wild mothers, for assisting in royal hunts is said to be the major cause of the species' rapid decline. [5] [6] Trophy hunting during the British Raj further impacted the already dwindling population of Cheetahs. [7] Cheetahs rarely breed in captivity as there is only one record of a litter ever born to captive animals. [8]
By the beginning of the 20th century, wild cheetah sightings were rare in India, so much so that between 1918 and 1945, Indian princes imported cheetahs from Africa for coursing. The last confirmed three cheetahs were shot by Maharajah of Surguja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo in 1948. [9] The last known sighting was that of a female in 1951 in Koriya district in northwestern Chhattisgarh. [5] With the death of the last known population and no further sightings, the species was declared locally extinct in 1952. [10]
In 1955, the State Wildlife Board of Andhra Pradesh suggested the reintroduction of the Asiatic cheetah on an experimental basis in two districts of the state. [11] In the 1970s, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Government of India formally wrote to the Iranian government requesting Asiatic cheetahs for reintroduction and received a positive response. The talks stalled after the Iranian Revolution. [12] In 1984, wildlife conservationist Divyabhanusinh wrote a paper on the subject on the request of Ministry of Environment and Forests, which was subsequently sent to the Cat Specialist Group of Species Survival Commission of the IUCN. In the late 1908s, Government of Kenya reportedly offered to send a few members of related sub-species Southeast African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus). [13]
During the early 2000s, scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, proposed a plan to clone Asiatic cheetahs from Iran. [14] In August 2009, talks were rekindled with Iran for sharing a few of the animals. The dwindling population of the species in the existent range made Iran hesitant to commit to the idea. [15] Iran proposed that Asiatic lions which are existent only in India be given in exchange for cheetahs for which India refused and the plan to source cheetahs from Iran was eventually dropped in 2010. [10] [13]
In September 2009, a cheetah reintroduction workshop was organized by the Government of India with scientists and experts from Wildlife Institute of India and Cheetah Conservation Fund among others. [16] [17] Stephen J. O'Brien of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity of National Cancer Institute of the United States, said that according to the latest genetic studies, the Asiatic cheetah was, in fact, genetically identical to the African cheetah with which it had separated only 5,000 years ago and this was not enough time for a subspecies level differentiation. [18] The experts argued for the introduction of the Southeast African cheetah as the Asiatic cheetah survives only in Iran, its population numbers less than 100 individuals, and the Iranian government's repeated reluctance to supply said cheetahs for Indian efforts. [19] The meeting identified Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, and the UAE as countries from where the cheetah could be imported to India. [20] Another working group, which was formed for exploring sourcing and translocation of the cheetah suggested that five to ten animals annually have to be brought to India over a period of five to ten years to create a viable population. [10] [16]
In late 2009, as a part of Project Cheetah, the Ministry of Environment and Forests approved a detailed survey of seven potential reintroduction sites and three holding sites for captive breeding across four states Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. [13] [17] The survey shortlisted three regions as having a potential to support cheetah populations. [21] [22] These included Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh and the Shahgarh landscape in Rajasthan. [23] As per the report, Kuno-Palpur which had hosted all the four big cats that existed earlier including the tiger, leopard, lion, and cheetah before they were wiped out, in part or in whole and Nauradehi which is part of a larger open grassland landscape can host cheetahs. As Shahgarh was located near the Indo-Pakistani border, the report said that fencing would be required to ensure adequate protection for the cheetah population. [24] [25]
In May 2012, the Supreme Court of India put the project of importing cheetahs from Africa and reintroducing them in India on hold after a petition was filed against the same. [26] In the petition, it was argued that Kuno, the proposed location for the re-introduction was prepared for reintroduction of native lions from Gir National Park and introducing cheetahs will be used as a pretext to delay the lion re-introduction project. It was also argued that the reintroduction of African cheetah has not been placed before the Standing Committee of India's National Board for Wildlife and that the scientific studies show the African cheetahs to be genetically different from Asian Cheetahs which is against the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines on translocation of wildlife species. [27]
On 28 January 2020, the Supreme Court allowed the central government to proceed with the introduction of Southern African cheetahs to a suitable habitat in India as part of a trial, in response to an application filed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) seeking permission to introduce Southern African cheetahs from Namibia. The Supreme Court set up a three-member committee to guide the NTCA and asked the committee to submit a progress report every four months. [28] [29] Subsequently, a scientific assessment of all potential reintroduction sites was conducted to understand the habitat conditions, prey species availability, protection status and other ecological criteria for shortlisting initial introduction site with a detailed scientific action plan published in January 2022. [30] In August 2022, the Union minister of Environment stated that African cheetahs would be reintroduced from Namibia to Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in September and that the Indian Government was also attempting to translocate another 12 cheetahs from South Africa. [31] [32]
On 17 September 2022, eight cheetahs including five females and three males arrived at Kuno National Park. [33] [34] In November 2022, the cheetahs were shifted to a larger enclosure for further adaption after their mandatory quarantine period. [35] [36] In January 2023, South Africa signed an agreement with India and a first batch of 12 cheetahs arrived in February 2023. The agreement between both countries involved South Africa relocating a further 12 cheetahs every year for the next 8 to 10 years. [37]
On 11 March 2023, a male and a female were released together into the wild and were confirmed to have successfully hunted prey in the park. [38] [39] Further cheetahs were released into the wild in steps and the released animals were tracked by radio collars. [40] [41] One of the released cheetahs, gave birth to four cubs on March 24, the first recorded live cheetah births in over 70 years. [42] Later in the month, a female died due to kidney complications. [43]
On April 2, a male cheetah escaped from the boundaries of the park before being captured in a village 20 km (12 mi) from the park. [44] [45] On April 24, another cheetah death was reported reportedly due to heart failure and on May 9, a female was killed during a fight with a male cheetah during mating. [46] [47] [48] As the park did not have an adequate amount of space for the growing number of felines, the Supreme Court ordered the government to look for an alternative site to augment the existing facility. [49] [50] In May, three more animals were released into the wild. [51] Following the death of three cheetah cubs, the Central government appointed a high-level steering committee, comprising national and international experts, to oversee the implementation on May 25. [52] South African wildlife expert Vincent van der Merwe clarified that recent cheetah deaths does not mean that the Project Cheetah is failing, as similar mortalities have been reported in African reintroduction and 50 percent mortality rate is expected in the first year. [53]
By January 2024, three more deaths were recorded pushing the count of dead animals to ten since the start of the project. [54] [55] [56] Three cubs were born in January and a further six cubs were born in March 2024, raising the total number of cheetahs in the national park to 27. [57] [58]
The cheetah is a large cat and the fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, with a short snout and black tear-like facial streaks. It reaches 67–94 cm (26–37 in) at the shoulder, and the head-and-body length is between 1.1 and 1.5 m. Adults weigh between 21 and 72 kg. The cheetah is capable of running at 93 to 104 km/h ; it has evolved specialized adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail.
Species reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild, from captivity or other areas where the organism is capable of survival. The goal of species reintroduction is to establish a healthy, genetically diverse, self-sustaining population to an area where it has been extirpated, or to augment an existing population. Species that may be eligible for reintroduction are typically threatened or endangered in the wild. However, reintroduction of a species can also be for pest control; for example, wolves being reintroduced to a wild area to curb an overpopulation of deer. Because reintroduction may involve returning native species to localities where they had been extirpated, some prefer the term "reestablishment".
The Asiatic lion is a population of Panthera leo leo that today survives in the wild only in India. Since the turn of the 20th century, its range has been restricted to Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujarat. The first scientific description of the Asiatic lion was published in 1826 by the Austrian zoologist Johann N. Meyer, who named it Felis leo persicus. Until the 19th century, it occurred in Saudi Arabia, eastern Turkey, Iran, Mesopotamia, and from east of the Indus River in Pakistan to the Bengal region and the Narmada River in Central India.
The Asiatic cheetah is a critically endangered cheetah subspecies currently only surviving in Iran. Its range once spread from the Arabian Peninsula and the Near East to the Caspian region, Transcaucasus, Kyzylkum Desert and northern South Asia, but was extirpated in these regions during the 20th century. The Asiatic cheetah diverged from the cheetah population in Africa between 32,000 and 67,000 years ago.
The Northwest African cheetah, also known as the Saharan cheetah, is a cheetah subspecies native to the Sahara and the Sahel. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. In 2008, the population was suspected to number less than 250 mature individuals.
The Cheetah Conservation Fund is a research and lobby institution in Namibia concerned with the study and sustenance of the country's cheetah population, the largest and healthiest in the world. Its Research and Education Centre is located 44 kilometres (27 mi) east of Otjiwarongo. The CCF was founded in 1990 by conservation biologist Laurie Marker who won the 2010 Tyler Prize for her efforts in Namibia.
Kuno National Park is a national park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, India. It derives its name from Kuno River. It was established in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary with an initial area of 344.686 km2 (133.084 sq mi) in the Sheopur and Morena districts. In 2018, it was given the status of a national park. It is part of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
The Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project is an initiative of the Indian Government to provide safeguards to the Asiatic lion from extinction in the wild by means of reintroduction. The last wild population of the Asiatic lion is found in the region of Gir Forest National Park, in the state of Gujarat. The single population faces the threats of epidemics, natural disasters and other anthropogenic factors. The project aims to establish a second independent population of Asiatic lions at the Kuno National Park in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. However, the proposed translocation has been bitterly contested by the state government.
The Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve is a 3,000-acre (12 km2) breeding and reacclimation center administered by the Israel Nature Reserves & National Parks Authority, situated in the Southern Arava near Yotvata.
The wildlife of Iran include the fauna and flora of Iran.
Banni Grasslands Reserve or Banni grasslands form a belt of arid grassland ecosystem on the outer southern edge of the desert of the marshy salt flats of Rann of Kutch in Kutch District, Gujarat State, India. They are known for rich wildlife and biodiversity and are spread across an area of 3,847 square kilometres. They are currently legally protected under the status as a protected or reserve forest in India. Though declared a protected forest more than half a century ago Gujarat state's forest department has recently proposed a special plan to restore and manage this ecosystem in the most efficient way. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has identified this grassland reserve as one of the last remaining habitats of the cheetah in India and a possible reintroduction site for the species.
Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary also popularly known as Narayan Sarovar Wildlife Sanctuary or Narayan Sarovar Chinkara Sanctuary notified as such in April 1981 and subsequently denotified in 1995 with reduced area, is a unique eco-system near Narayan Sarovar in the Lakhpat taluka of Kutch district in the state of Gujarat, India. The desert forest in this sanctuary is said to be the only one of its kind in India. Located in the arid zone, a part of it is a seasonal wetland. It has 15 threatened wildlife species and has desert vegetation comprising thorn and scrub forests. Its biodiversity has some rare animals and birds, and rare flowering plants. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has identified it as one of the last remaining habitats of the cheetah in India and a possible reintroduction site for the species. The most sighted animal here is the chinkara, which is currently the flagship species of the sanctuary.
The Indian aurochs is an extinct subspecies of aurochs that inhabited West Asia and the Indian subcontinent from the Late Pleistocene until its eventual extinction during the South Asian Stone Age. With no remains younger than 3,800 YBP ever recovered, the Indian aurochs was the first of the three aurochs subspecies to become extinct; the Eurasian aurochs and the North African aurochs persevered longer, with the latter bring known by the Roman Empire, and the former surviving until the mid-17th century in Central Europe.
Parishan Lake is a lake in Iran. The Parishan Lake is in Jereh and Baladeh District in Fars Province and is the largest freshwater lake in the country. It receives very small amount of water from feeder rivers and the whole lake or wetland is a protected area, as it is considered a globally significant wetland ecosystem. Another lake in this area is that of Arzhan. The whole protected area is called "Arzhan National Park." This area is an important sanctuary for birds.
The Kuno River is a prominent river that flows through the heart of the Kuno National Park from South to north in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The river, which originates from the Vindhya mountain range, is a lifeline for the sanctuary's diverse flora and fauna.
The East African cheetah, is a cheetah population in East Africa. It lives in grasslands and savannas of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Somalia. The cheetah inhabits mainly the Serengeti ecosystem, including Maasai Mara, and the Tsavo landscape.
The Northeast African cheetah is a cheetah subspecies occurring in Northeast Africa. Contemporary records are known in South Sudan and Ethiopia, but population status in Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan is unknown.
The Southeast African cheetah is the nominate cheetah subspecies native to East and Southern Africa. The Southern African cheetah lives mainly in the lowland areas and deserts of the Kalahari, the savannahs of Okavango Delta, and the grasslands of the Transvaal region in South Africa. In Namibia, cheetahs are mostly found in farmlands. In India, four cheetahs of the subspecies are living in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh after having been introduced there.
The Laohu Valley Reserve (LVR) is a nature reserve located near Philippolis in the Free State and near Vanderkloof Dam in the Northern Cape of South Africa. It is a roughly 350-square-kilometre private reserve.
Laurie Marker is an American zoologist, researcher, author, educator, and one of the world's foremost cheetah experts, who founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in 1990. As executive director of CCF, among many endeavors, Marker helps rehabilitate cheetahs and reintroduce them to the wild, performs research into conservation, biology and ecology, educates groups around the world, and works toward a holistic approach to saving the cheetah and its ecosystems in the wild. Before her work with CCF, Marker's career started to take off at the Wildlife Safari in the U.S., where her interest with captive cheetahs began.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Project: Wildlife Forensic and Conservation of animals in India