Experts say not too late, but a severe restructure and competent authorities incharge needed to salvage the project
Poor management, political pressure and firefighting approach by officials managing the cheetah reintroduction project are costing the lives of the wild cats brought to India from South Africa and Namibia to the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released eight Namibian cheetahs into a boma (enclosure) in KNP on September 17, 2022, his 72nd birthday. On February 18, 2023, 12 cheetahs were brought from South Africa.
So far, nine cheetahs have died since March 2023, including three out of the four cubs that were born here. Dhatri (Tiblisi), a female, was found dead on the morning of August 2, 2023, while two more had died in July. At present, 14 cheetahs remain — seven males, six females and a female cub.
Read more: Kuno needs at least 50 cheetahs before wild cat population stabilises, expert tells central panel
Experts and sources closely affiliated to the project have told Down To Earth (DTE) the site may not be entirely suitable for the wild cats and the fundamentals of the project are compromised. They advised revisiting the project and bringing drastic changes to turn it into a success.
Government officials are giving different versions of reasons behind the deaths, making it evident that the authorities have little technical knowledge on handling cheetahs, said Dharmendra Khandal, conservation biologist with Tiger Watch, an organisation based in Ranthambore working towards wildlife conservation.
They are resorting to fire fighting tactics to hide their mistakes, he added.
The death of male cheetah Tejas was first attributed to a violent clash between him and a female cheetah, which caused trauma and eventually, death, he pointed out. “Later, officials confirmed that the death occurred due to septicaemia caused due to radio collars,” he said, adding females killing male cheetahs is unheard of.
Despite so many mistakes, the officials are continuing to reiterate they would not move the cheetahs to new sites, said Khandal.
“These cheetahs are clearly crowded in their habitat, which is causing in-fighting and deaths. They are claustrophobic in the existing space. This is why two of them went almost 200 kilometres towards Jhansi and had to be darted and brought back,” he added.
In June earlier this year, cheetah Pavan and Asha moved towards Jhansi near Panna and the latter then moved towards Chanderi. Oban, one of the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia, escaped in April and strayed into a village 20 kilometres from KNP. He was also caught and brought back.
The central government, however, insists that cheetahs will not be relocated despite the Supreme Court of India making a recommendation for the same.
The prey base mentioned in the Cheetah Action Plan is also far smaller in reality. “The prey base was claimed to be 60 per square km, which is now revised to 17-20 per sq km,” the wildlife expert said.
Khandal said an expert committee with scientific and ecological knowledge needs to be formed for improving the project.
“The project was taken up after considering cheetahs existing in India. But closer look at the records show the majority of these cheetah populations were likely captive and not much in the wild,” he pointed out.
Read more: Simply Put: The Great Escape
“A research paper, Asiatic Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus venaticus in India: A chronology of extinction and related reports, published in Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 2019 showed the distribution of cheetahs in forested areas and even along the coasts,” Khandal added.
The animals, which are known to be living in dry regions, were actually found across different parts of India. “Hence the ideal site of the cheetah should be better researched and identified,” he added.
A source monitoring the cheetah project on the condition of anonymity said poaching has likely reduced the prey population, but the wild cat deaths are due to sheer mismanagement.
“According to the Cheetah Action Plan, none of the deaths reported so far have been due to anticipated causes such as snare, starvation, disease, road kills and leopards,” the source said.
Doubting the preparation of new sites, the source said the government has no money allotted for preparation of these sites. “No villages have been moved and establishing one new site may cost a few crore rupees. Just creating a fence and removing animals will not suffice,” the source added.
Pictures circulated on social media and news reports had shown cheetahs with severe rotting from head to tail. The source also questioned how it escaped the monitoring team.
“Maggots must’ve caused a lot of pain and irritation for the cheetah for several days. Such infection does not spread overnight and surely must have reflected some changes in behaviour of those animals. How come the veterinarians could not spot it?” the expert said.
The cubs died due to starvation, according to media reports. “If the teams would have been observing the cubs well, they would have realised that the cubs have not eaten. Surya, the fifth adult male cheetah to die, was reportedly underweight too. Why are these animals starving?” the source questioned.
Other sources have revealed the adult cheetah had not eaten for four days, the expert said. “Not one person on the monitoring team — numbering almost 30 per cheetah — is following them daily. Not knowing about it is pure negligence,” they said.
Read more: Cheetah deaths, including that of cubs, in Kuno could have been avoided, say experts
“If the apex court had asked for evidence of international experts being consulted, there would have been very little to show for it,” the source added.
A group of experts in their letter to the Supreme Court submitted on July 15, 2023 addressed their concerns regarding the functioning of the project.
The poor communication and development is affecting the people involved in the project. Sources claimed they believe the Steering Committee formed to take inputs for the project had no interest in consulting international experts on the issue.
“They want to do it their way, regardless of the cost to the animals,” another source said.
An inside source revealed to DTE that Y V Jhala, former dean of Wildlife Institute of India, created data collection forms that were approved by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Jhala also drafted the Cheetah Action Plan and served as a lead scientist of Cheetah Project from 2012 to February 2023.
“These important forms help record the health of cheetahs and serve as reference for future. It helps to understand their behaviour too. But it seems like the papers have not been filled since Jhala was asked to leave abruptly,” the source said.
The person also revealed that the people doing the monitoring are not being trained by the veterinarians. “They don't know what to look for and how to identify an animal that is sick,” the source told DTE.
Another source said it is clear that the team handling the project is incompetent and there needs to be a change.
A source involved in the project said political pressure is another reason why cheetahs are suffering and constantly kept in the enclosure.
“Each wild cat death brings more pressure from the politicians on the authorities, demanding that no more deaths should occur. Such a demand is unreasonable,” the source said, adding that healthy cheetahs trying to adapt were being brought back for safety reasons due to the pressure.
Read more: Cheetah reintroduction ‘highly complex’, more sites needed as reserves, expert says
“It is necessary to restructure and reappoint reasonable persons to ensure success of the project. It is still not too late to salvage the project,” the source said.
Another source referring to the Cheetah Action Plan said the earlier plan was to hold about six to eight cheetahs in the first year of reintroduction.
“We still have 14 and eight from Namibia were a gift so it incurred only transportation costs. But time is running out and the officials need to amend things quicker,” the source said.
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File photo of the four cubs born to Jwala at Kuno National Park earlier this year. Only one female cub has survived so far..png)
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