Vincent van der Merwe from the Cheetah Metapopulation Project, South Africa expects more cheetah deaths in coming months
Even as a fourth of the cheetahs brought to India in September 2022 have died, cheetah expert Vincent van der Merwe said all is not lost and the “complex” Project Cheetah could still be successful.
“Three cheetahs have been lost to the infection septicaemia, caused by winter coat. Tblicy / Dhatri, the last female Namibian cheetah died of infection as she was skittish and could not be darted for capture and treatment,” said Merwe, who is the manager of Cheetah Metapopulation Project, The Metapopulation Initiative in South Africa said.
But the deaths are not unusual. He cited the example of South Africa where over 200 cheetahs were lost over a span of 26 years to standardise reintroduction protocols and make it a success. “Between 1966 and 1996 nine out of 10 South African reintroduction attempts completely failed,” he said.
Describing cheetah reintroduction as “highly complex”, Merwe said the project is difficult to succeed with a founding population of only 20 cheetahs and will continue to experience similar “growing pains”.
Merwe said more mortality is expected before year-end. “An estimation of loss of 50 per cent of the founder population in the first year post-release is standard for wild cheetah reintroductions in unfenced areas. “More losses are anticipated in the second year of post-release as well,” he said.
He added that the cheetahs would require time to adapt to Indian weather conditions as well. “In southern Africa, cheetahs often give birth in late summer or early autumn and if the litters are lost in the seasons, the replacement births are given in late winter or early spring,” he said.
The expert said reintroduced female cheetahs are yet to adapt to opposite seasons in Asia and hence the mortality is expected to be high during initial years.
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He shared that Kuno National Park, which hosts all the cheetahs, must be treated like a sink reserve. “Two more sites are required and Gandhisagar and Nauradehi in Madhya Pradesh are being prepared for the same and are likely to be made available by the end of 2024,” he said.
He said the fencing at these sites is being prepared, which would be able to hold 10 cheetahs. “Gandhisagar should be able to host two female and a male cheetah, while Nauradehi can accommodate four breeding female and a male cheetah. Chances of them surviving in those areas are higher given the drier weather conditions and fewer competing predators,” Merwe said.
He added that for the project to be a success, patience and time are the essential elements before any conclusions are drawn.
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In South Africa, 200 cheetahs were lost over a span of 26 years to standardise reintroduction protocols and make it a success. Photo: iStock.png)
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