New Delhi:

African cheetahs brought to India as part of the world’s first intercontinental translocation of big cats will soon be released into the wild, nearly a year after they were returned to enclosures in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park for health check-ups and monitoring, according to officials.

Officials told Press Trust of India that the Centre’s Cheetah Project Steering Committee on Friday decided to release the African cheetahs and their cubs, born in India, into the wild in a phased manner after the monsoon withdraws from central parts of the country.

“Members of the committee and NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) officials conducted field visits to Kuno and discussed the schedule for releasing the cheetahs. While adult cheetahs will be released into the wild in phases once the rains end, the cubs and their mothers will be released after December,” an official said.

All 25 cheetahs – 13 adults and 12 cubs – are doing well, according to the official.

The first batch of eight cheetahs from Namibia was introduced in India in September 2022 and the second batch of 12 cheetahs was flown in from South Africa last February.

Some cheetahs were initially released into the wild but were brought back to their enclosures by August last year after the deaths of three cheetahs – a female named Tbilisi (from Namibia) and two South African males, Tejas and Sooraj – due to septicemia, an infection that occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream and spread.

This condition arose from wounds under the cheetahs’ thick winter coats on their backs and necks, which became infested with maggots and led to blood infections, according to the government’s annual report on Project Cheetah.

Officials had earlier told news agency PTI that the unexpected growth of winter coats by some cheetahs during the Indian summer and monsoon, in anticipation of the African winter (June to September), was a major challenge in managing the animals in India during the first year.

“Even African experts did not expect this. The winter coat, combined with high humidity and heat, caused itching, leading the cheetahs to scratch their necks on tree trunks or the ground. This resulted in bruises and exposed skin, which attracted flies that laid eggs, leading to maggot infestations, bacterial infections, and ultimately, the death of three cheetahs,” said SP Yadav, Director General of the International Big Cat Alliance and former NTCA member secretary.

The deaths prompted the steering committee to recommend that “future cheetahs for reintroduction should be sourced from countries in the Northern Hemisphere, such as Kenya or Somalia, to avoid biorhythmic complications”.

Currently, only one cheetah, named Pavan, is roaming free, with officials noting that he is difficult to spot and capture.

Though such “experimental” projects come with challenges and expected mortalities, experts in both India and Africa have expressed concerns about keeping the cheetahs in enclosures for extended periods.

“The cheetahs are not truly living in the wild, despite spending two years on Indian soil. Cheetahs prefer long journeys and they could be under severe stress,” an African expert who assisted with the cheetah reintroduction in India said on condition of anonymity.

Since their arrival in India, seven adult cheetahs — three females and four males — have died, including four due to septicemia. All these deaths occurred between March 2023 and January 2024.

Seventeen cubs have been born in India and 12 of them have survived. This brings the total number of cheetahs, including cubs, in Kuno to 25, all of which are currently in enclosures.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

South African Cheetah ‘Gamini’ with her five cubs on Friday morning, enjoyed the rain at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh Sheopur.

Cheetah Gamini was seen playing with her cubs, who also engaged in playful antics with each other.

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav shared the joyous moment in a post on X, stating, “Together, they weave a timeless tale of familial harmony amidst nature’s seasonal embrace.”

Cheetah Gamini with her 5 five cubs today morning enjoying the rain in Kuno National Park.

Together, they weave a timeless tale of familial harmony amidst nature’s seasonal embrace. pic.twitter.com/25ZUpLSLHd

— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) July 5, 2024

Earlier on March 10, South African Cheetah ‘Gamini’ gave birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park.

An announcement in this regard was made by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Sunday.

The Union Minister said that the total number of Indian-born Cheetah cubs has gone up to 13.

“High Five, Kuno! Female cheetah Gamini, age about 5 years, brought from Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa, has given birth to 5 cubs today. This takes the tally of the Indian-born cubs to 13. This is the fourth cheetah litter on Indian soil and the first litter of cheetahs brought from South Africa,” Bhupender Yadav said in a post on X.

He lauded the officers and staff at Kuno National Park for ensuring a ‘stress-free environment’ for the cheetahs.

“Congratulations to all, especially the team of forest officers, vets, and field staff who have ensured a stress-free environment for cheetahs, which has led to successful mating and birth of the cubs. The total number of cheetahs, including cubs in Kuno National Park, is 26. Gamini’s legacy leaps forward: Introducing her adorable cubs!” he said.

Earlier in January this year, Namibian Cheetah ‘Jwala’ gave birth to four cubs at Kuno National Park.Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952, only to be reintroduced through the ambitious project in 2022.

In 2022, eight Cheetahs – brought from Namibia – were introduced in India under Project Cheetah. Subsequently, twelve cheetahs from South Africa were also translocated and released in Kuno National Park in February 2023.

A cheetah translocated from Namibia, died at Kuno National Park in January this year. So far, seven adult cheetahs and three cubs born in India have died since March 2023.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

In yet another attack on his own party and the Centre, BJP MP Varun Gandhi has termed bringing cheetahs from Africa and allowing them to die “cruelty and negligence”, and called for a focus on conserving India’s endangered species.

Mr Gandhi’s remarks come in the backdrop of nine cheetah deaths in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park in a span of five months, and amid reports of the next batch of the big cats being brought from South Africa and introduced into the state’s Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.

As part of Project Cheetah, the first batch of the big cats, brought from Namibia, had been released in Kuno National Park by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday –  September 17 – last year. Sunday will be the first anniversary of Project Cheetah. 

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Gandhi tagged a report on the another batch of cheetahs and said, “Importing cheetahs from Africa and allowing nine of them to die in a foreign land is not just cruelty, it’s an appalling display of negligence. We should focus on conserving our own endangered species and habitats rather than contributing to the suffering of these magnificent creatures.”

Importing cheetahs from Africa and allowing nine of them to die in a foreign land is not just cruelty, it’s an appalling display of negligence.

We should focus on conserving our own endangered species and habitats rather than contributing to the suffering of these magnificent… https://t.co/atB0hFE8wC

— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) September 16, 2023

“This reckless pursuit of exotic animals must end immediately, and we should prioritise the welfare of our native wildlife instead,” his post said. 

This is far from the first time that the MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit has attacked his own party or a government headed by the BJP. At an event in Uttar Pradesh last month, he had asked people not to disturb a sadhu (ascetic) and said nobody knows “when ‘maharaaj ji’ will become the chief minister”.

The ascetic’s phone had started ringing, but Mr Gandhi had stopped BJP workers from asking him to switch it off.  “Please do not not stop him, never know when ‘maharaaj ji’ will become the chief minister. Then what will happen to us?” he had been quoted as saying by news agency PTI. The joke was seen as a dig at the government in Uttar Pradesh.  

Kuno National Park has seen the reintroduction of 20 adult cheetahs since September last year, and four cubs have been born there since then. Nine of the cheetahs, including three cubs, had died in a span of five months till early August this year. 

Some experts had attributed the cheetah deaths to the use of sub-standard radio collars, but the government had dismissed the charge as “speculation and hearsay without scientific evidence”.

Hearing a petition on the deaths, the Supreme Court had said last month that there was no reason to question the government on the moves being made to reintroduce cheetahs in India.

In an interview with PTI, Project Cheetah head SP Yadav said that the next batch of cheetahs will be imported from South Africa and introduced in the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, which will be ready to welcome them by the end of the year.