MP plans new home for cheetahs, relocate leopards

Context: Analysing the lineage of cheetahs to create a strong genetic foundation
and relocating leopards from the predator-proof fenced areas and augmenting the
number of prey animals are part of the Cheetah Action Plan for Gandhi Sagar
Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. The sanctuary spreads across 2500 sq km
landscape of Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan, is a mix of grasslands, dry
deciduous forests and riverine evergreen patches, which serves as an ideal habitat
for the cheetahs to thrive. According to an action plan devised by the National
Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the MP wildlife dept. and Wildlife
Institute of India (WII), 6-8 cheetahs will be released into a 64 sq km
predator-proof enclosure within the sanctuary’s West Range.

Key points

·       About
the Species (Acinonyx Jubatus Venaticus): The Cheetah (a carnivore)
is the world’s fastest land animal historically ranging throughout most of
Sub-Saharan Africa and extending eastward to India. They maintain prey species
healthy (by killing the weak and old) and control the population of prey,
helping plants-life by preventing overgrazing. Today, Cheetahs are found in
only 9% of their historic range, occurring in a variety of habitats such as
savannahs in the Serengeti, arid mountain ranges in the Sahara and hilly desert
terrain in Iran.

·       Status: Currently,
Cheetahs (African) are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, as there are fewer than 7,100 adult and
adolescent Cheetahs in the wild. The Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) lists them as an Appendix 1 species.

·       Historical
Range of Cheetahs in India: Historically, Asiatic Cheetahs had a very
wide distribution in India, occurring from as far north as Punjab to
Tirunelveli district in southern Tamil Nadu, from Gujarat and Rajasthan in the
west to Bengal in the east. Thus, the Cheetah’s habitat was very diverse -
scrub forests, dry grasslands, savannas and other arid and semi-arid open
habitats.

·       Causes
of Extinction of Cheetahs in India: The big cat population got
completely wiped out in the early 1950s, mainly due to over-hunting and habitat
loss. Records of Cheetahs being hunted (sport hunting, capturing during Mughal
period) go back to the 1550s. However, the final phase of its extinction
coincided with British colonial rule (the British declared a bounty for killing
it in 1871).

·       Cheetah
Reintroduction Plan: Under the ‘Action Plan for Reintroduction of
Cheetah in India’, 50 cheetahs are brought from African countries to various
national parks over 5 years. Kuno Palpur National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh Amongst
the surveyed sites of the central Indian states, KNP has been rated the
highest, because of its suitable habitat and adequate prey base.

Significance of
bringing back Cheetahs - Besides conserving the big cat, the initiative is a
boon to the ecosystem. They are not a threat to humans and do not attack large
livestock either.

·       Challenges
of bringing back Cheetahs: Based on the evidence available, it is
impossible to conclude that the choice to bring the African Cheetah into India
is scientifically sound. As a result, the Supreme Court of India (in 2020)
permitted an experimental release of Cheetahs in a suitable habitat.

·       Project
Cheetah: The plan involves partnering with other countries to conserve cheetahs,
enhancing conservation and eco-tourism in India’s dry forests.

Aim - To conserve
threatened species and restore ecosystem functions. It is spearheaded by the
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

·       Leopards
(Panthera pardus): The leopard is the smallest of the Big Cat family
(of genus Panthera namely the Tiger, Lion (Panthera leo), Jaguar, Leopard, and
Snow Leopard), and is known for its ability to adapt in a variety of habitats. Melanism
is a common occurrence in leopards, wherein the entire skin of the animal is
black in colour, including its spots. It is a nocturnal animal, feeds on
smaller species of herbivores found in its range, such as the chital, hog deer
and wild boar.

Habitat - It occurs in a
wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in small parts of Western and Central Asia,
on the Indian subcontinent to Southeast and East Asia. The Indian leopard
(Panthera pardus fusca) is a leopard widely distributed on the Indian
subcontinent.

Threats - Poaching for
the illegal trade of skins and body parts, habitat loss and fragmentation, Human-Leopard
conflict.

Conservation
Status - IUCN Red List: Vulnerable, CITES: Appendix-I, Indian Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule-I.

·       Status
of Leopards in India: India's leopard population rose by 8% from 12,852
in 2018 to 13,874 in 2022. About 65% of the leopard population is present
outside protected areas in the Shivalik landscape. Only about a third of the
leopards are within protected areas.