Cheetahs to be released back into wild starting October-end

The African cheetahs brought to India as part of the world's first intercontinental translocation of big cats will be released back into the wild at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in a phased manner starting October-end, officials said on Monday, 14 October.

According to the officials, the Agni-Vayu coalition will be released first in the Palpur East range, while the Prabhash-Pavak coalition will be released in a different area.

They also noted that releasing only male cheetahs could lead to conflicts due to overcrowding near the fenced enclosures as they search for mates. Therefore, it is necessary to release females as well.

The officials said the Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary, which will be the second home of cheetahs in India, is ready to welcome a new batch of spotted felines.

Twenty cheetahs have so far been brought to the Kuno National Park -- eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023.

Since their arrival in India, eight adult cheetahs -- three females and five males -- have died.

Seventeen cubs have been born in India, with 12 surviving, bringing the total number of cheetahs, including cubs, in Kuno to 24. Currently, all are in enclosures that are only 0.5 to 1.5 square kilometre in size. For context, cheetahs need much larger areas in the wild, usually more than 50 square kilometre, depending on prey availability.

The cheetahs were initially released into the wild but were brought back to their enclosures by August last year after the deaths of three animals -- 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 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.

On Monday, officials from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) said talks are at an advanced stage with South Africa and Kenya to bring a new batch of cheetahs. The "Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah in India" talks about bringing around 12 to 14 cheetahs each year from South Africa, Namibia and other African countries for five years to establish a founder stock.

Authorities are also setting up a conservation breeding centre in Gujarat's Bunni grasslands. It is likely to get cheetahs from Kenya.

According to the 2023-24 annual progress report of Project Cheetah, India aims to build an inter-state cheetah conservation complex in the Kuno-Gandhi Sagar landscape across Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan within the next 25 years. This larger Kuno-Gandhi Sagar landscape is situated in the districts of Sheopur, Shivpuri, Gwalior, Morena, Guna, Ashoknagar, Mandsaur, Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh and Baran, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Kota, Jhalawar, Bundi and Chittorgarh in Rajasthan.

The report said while a new batch of cheetahs is likely to be brought to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary by the end of the year, they would be released into free-ranging conditions over the next five years.

According to the "Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in Gandhi Sagar", five to eight cheetahs would be released into a 64-square kilometre predator-proof fenced area in the first phase, with a focus on breeding.