Context: Under the Cheetah Action Plan, the government is planning to relocate a new batch of Cheetahs from Africa to India. The new batch would be hosted in the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Cheetah; Location of Kuno National Park; Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
About Cheetah
- The cheetah is a large cat and the world’s fastest land animal.
- Characteristics:
- They have a slender body with long legs, a small round head, and distinctive black spots on their tan fur.
- They are carnivorous animals and hunt mainly small to medium-sized antelopes such as gazelles and impalas.
- They inhabit diverse scrub forests, dry grasslands, savannas and other arid and semi-arid open habitats.
Distribution of Cheetahs:
- Historically, Asiatic Cheetahs had a very wide distribution in India (from Punjab to southern Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan to Bengal).
- In 1952, the cheetah was declared officially extinct in India.
- Today, four subspecies of Cheetahs are recognised that are native to Africa and central Iran. (present in fragmented habitats in Iran, Sahara Desert, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa etc.)
Threats and Conservation status:
- Threats: Habitat loss, conflict with humans, poaching and high susceptibility to diseases.
- Protection Status:
- IUCN Status: Vulnerable
- Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule II
- CITES: Appendix I
- Cheetah Conservation Fund (1990): An international non-profit organization headquartered in Namibia, founded in 1990 for the conservation of cheetahs and their ecosystems..
Cheetah Reintroduction in India:
- Under the ambitious Project Cheetah, 20 adult African subspecies of cheetahs were successfully translocated to Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh in September 2022 and February 2023 (from Namibia and South Africa). It was aimed to re-establish the species within its historical range in India.
- As of December 2024, 24 Cheetahs survive (including 12 Adults and 12 cubs), and other adult Cheetahs died. There were various causes of their death including starvation and bacterial infection (blood poisoning/septicaemia) due to wounds caused by the tracking radio collar.
- Now, the government is anticipating relocation of some more Cheetahs from Africa to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh.
Cheetah Action Plan:
An action plan has been devised by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the MP wildlife department and Wildlife Institute of India (WII):
- A new population of 12-14 wild cheetahs (including 8-10 males and 4-6 females) would be imported from African countries to establish a new cheetah population in India.
- These cheetahs would be selected from a genetically diverse, disease-free, and reproductively viable age group.
- Cheetahs’ lineage and conditions would be evaluated in the source country to avoid excessive inbreeding. Selection criterion would include- genetic relatedness, social behaviour, and overall compatibility with the population’s needs.
- Genetic analysis of the cheetahs would be carried out using micro-satellite and genomic techniques.
After Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan’s Bhainsrorgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve have also been identified as potential sites for population expansion. These areas will undergo extensive habitat restoration and prey augmentation to support sustainable cheetah populations.
Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary:
- Spread across 368 sq. km in Madhya Pradesh.
- Vegetation: It has a mix of grasslands, dry deciduous forests, and riverine evergreen patches.
- Fauna: It supports an adequate prey base for Cheetah, including chinkara, nilgai, chital, wild pig, peafowl etc.
Read more: How the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is being developed as India’s second home for cheetahs