Cheetah Reintroduction in India: 65 Million Dollar Project Gets Underway

After an anxious wait, cheetah reintroduction project is finally underway in India with the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) giving it the green signal on 28th July 2010. So, where do cheetahs live now? The Middle East, Namibia, Iran and South Africa are some of the countries that proudly boast of housing cheetahs. Thus, the highly ambitious USD 65 million plan of cheetah reintroduction in India involves sourcing of 18 North African cheetahs from these countries and relocating them to three sites in India. Cheetah population in India declined rapidly owing to excessive hunting in the mid-20th century. The Cheetah was last spotted in India in Chhattisgarh in 1967, and thus, the news of reintroduction of this wild cat has left the Indian wildlife enthusiasts overjoyed.

The three sites chosen for the reintroduction of the cheetah species include the Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, both of which are located in Madhya Pradesh, and the Shahgarh landscape in Rajasthan. Around 10 sites representing various landscapes were screened as possible cheetah habitats by a panel of experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WTI) and the Wildlife Trust of India (WII). After detailed assessment of each of these sites, three sites were finalized for the ambitious plan of cheetah reintroduction. Among the various sites screened, the Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary, which was also the second largest site in the lot, had a definite edge as it has already undergone a significant deal of restoration work for the reintroduction of the Asiatic lions.

In their 28th July meet with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Wildlife Trust of India and the Wildlife Institute of India submitted the feasibility report titled 'Assessing the Potential for Reintroducing the Cheetah in India', to the Environment Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh. On this eve, the honorable environment minister was quoted saying "The way tiger restores forest ecosystem, snow leopard restores mountain ecosystem, Gangetic dolphin restores waters in the rivers, the cheetah will restore grasslands of the country." The panel of experts also emphasized on the need for long-term commitment and proper allocation of resources from the central as well as the state governments.

The project will be carried out in phases over the next three years. Each of the three chosen sites will be required to shell out approximately USD 22 million each for restoration of the landscape. The fact that this wild animal has an important role to play in the grassland biome makes its reintroduction all the more important for a nation with progressively depleting forest cover. Over the last few years, the grasslands of India are declining rapidly and one of the main reasons for this is overgrazing by herbivores. Cheetah reintroduction initiative is expected to curb the incessant growth of herbivores in these regions, and help in restoring the grasslands ecosystem.

One of the best wildlife conservation measures, reintroduction of these large carnivorous species helps in conservation of endangered species and restoration of normalcy in the ecosystem. That being said, the reintroduction of Cheetah in the subcontinent seems to be the need of the hour to save the dwindling grassland cover in this region. Cheetah reintroduction efforts will not just help the wildlife flourish but will also play a crucial role in promoting ecotourism in these regions. And most important of all, this initiative will make India the only country to house six of the eight large cats of the family Felidae in kingdom Animalia.