Initiated with great ambition, the Cheetah Translocation Project in India is currently facing a set of unexpected challenges. The project has recently marked the loss of two cheetahs, Uday and Sasha, reducing the total number of surviving cheetahs to 18 from an initial 20. With these unforeseen setbacks, attention is now being shifted towards exploring different conservation models, including the South African model of retaining cheetahs in fenced reserves.
Anticipated Mortality and Actual Causes of Death
While the project did anticipate a high mortality rate, aiming for a 50% survival rate during the first year, the early deaths have led experts to question if the carrying capacity of Kuno National Park, one of the project’s sites, was overestimated. High cub mortality is common among cheetahs due to predation, which is accountable for 53.2% of cheetah death according to a South African study. With absence of lions in India, except in Gujarat, leopards are likely to be primary predators in potential cheetah landscapes. Other causes of mortality can include holding camps, immobilization/transit, tracking devices, and other wildlife threats.
The South African Model for Cheetah Conservation
In South Africa, cheetah conservation strategy involves moving cheetahs between different small groups to ensure sufficient genetic diversity and to maintain a healthy population. This strategy, known as the meta-population management, has proven to be successful, with the meta-population growing to 328 cheetahs in a span of six years.
Alternative Options for the Project
Exploring options to overcome these hurdles, the authorities are considering the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Chambal River valley, as a potential secondary habitat for cheetahs. Another consideration is shifting some cheetahs to an 80-sq-km fenced area in Rajasthan’s Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve. Unfortunately, both these options would require a shift from the project’s original objective of establishing cheetahs in an open landscape to managing them in restricted areas.
Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary
Located in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is known for open landscapes, rocky terrains, and diverse flora including Khair, Salai, Kardhai, Dhawda, Tendu, and Palash. The wildlife species residing in the sanctuary include Chinkara, Nilgai, Spotted Deer, Striped Hyena, Jackal, and crocodiles.
Mukundra Tiger Reserve
Mukundra Tiger Reserve, situated near Kota in a valley formed by two parallel mountains, Mukundra and Gargola, is bounded by four rivers. This reserve was officially declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1955, then a National Park in 2004, and finally, a Tiger Reserve in 2013. It is the third of its kind in Rajasthan after Ranthambore and Sariska.
Way Forward
The success of the Cheetah Translocation Project will hinge on aligning with India’s traditional conservation ethos, which emphasizes protecting naturally dispersing wildlife in viable non-fragmented habitats. The South African model provides a different approach, where the cheetah populations are retained in fenced-in reserves. Nevertheless, keeping cheetahs in leopard-proof enclosures may not provide a sustainable solution. Repeated interventions to restrict cheetahs to sanctuaries and national parks are also likely to harm the animals.
UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question
For the benefit of UPSC civil services examination applicants, here is a related question from the Prelims 2012:
“Consider the following: Black-necked crane, Cheetah, Flying squirrel, Snow leopard. Which of the above are naturally found in India? (a) 1, 2 and 3 only (b) 1, 3 and 4 only (c) 2 and 4 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4”
The correct answer is option (b).
