Eight cheetahs, which have been captured in South Africa’s Botswana, are set to be relocated to India under the ‘cheetah reintroduction programme’, after 19 died from various causes since the programme was launched in 2022.
The cheetahs to be relocated include two males, and will be quarantined for a month before undergoing a medical examination, after which they would be sent to India, an official said.
“Inter-continental translocation involves several formalities. Considering these and the upcoming Christmas holidays, I can’t say when the cheetahs will be flown to Kuno National Park in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh; most probably in January,” he added.
On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs brought from Namibia into a special enclosure at Kuno National Park, marking the world’s first inter-continental relocation of a large wild carnivore species after the fastest land animal went extinct here decades ago.
India later imported 12 more cheetahs from South Africa in February 2023.
Three years into the ambitious revival programme, the country now has 27 cheetahs, including 16 born on Indian soil. Of them, 24 are at Kuno and three are at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS).
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However, 19 cheetahs, of which 9 were imported adults and 10 were cubs born in India – have so far died from various causes. After importing 20 animals from Africa, India currently has a net gain of seven cheetahs over the initial number.
Meanwhile, a five-member South African delegation visited the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS), located on the boundary of Mandsaur and Neemuch districts in Madhya Pradesh, after its field visit to Kuno National Park on Thursday.
The delegation comprised Anthony Mitchell, head of office and cabinet liaison for Deputy Minister Narend Singh; Kam Chetty, retired bureaucrat; Sam Ferreira, SANParks lead biologist; Brent Coverdale, animal scientist at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife; and Jeanetta Selier, senior scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
The team remained at GSWS on Friday before returning to New Delhi to fly back to South Africa, said Mandsaur Divisional Forest Officer Sanjay Raykhere.
The Cheetah Project field director, Uttam Sharma, stated that the latest relocation was being handled by the two governments, on which he could not comment.
“We already have enclosures and facilities ready for the third batch of cheetahs, which were prepared when the animals were earlier brought from Namibia and South Africa,” he added.
The Indian team included S P Yadav, managing director of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and advisor to Project Cheetah; Subharanjan Sen, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) of Madhya Pradesh; and Sanjayan Kumar, inspector general, NTCA, Sharma added.
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