Context:

India's ambitious Project Cheetah, aimed at reintroducing cheetahs after decades of extinction, has gained global attention. However, the project faces challenges like extended captivity and fatalities, casting doubts on its long-term success. 

Current Status of Project Cheetah 

• Deaths and Survivals: Eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 cheetahs from South Africa were imported in two batches in 2022 and 2023. Since their arrival, eight adult cheetahs — three female and five male — have died. 
• Births Since Reintroduction from Africa: Seventeen cubs have been born in India, with 12 surviving, bringing the total number of cheetahs, including cubs, in Kuno to 24.

Presence in the Wild and Captivity: Presently, all 24 cheetahs remain in enclosures.

• However, such long-term captivity makes cheetahs unfit for release into the wild. 
• As per a Namibian policy, the captivity period for wild carnivores is limited to three months, after which they must be either euthanized or kept permanently in captivity.
• Under this rule, the 12 adult cheetahs and 12 cubs in Kuno are no longer fit for release. 

About Cheetah:

• The cheetah is a fast-running land animal cat, and Africa’s most endangered big cat.
• Speed: capable of reaching more than 110 km/hr in just over three seconds.
• The global cheetah population was over 6,500 mature individuals (IUCN, 2021).

It has two subspecies: 

• Asiatic cheetah is critically endangered as per IUCN and is currently found only in Iran. 
• African Cheetah with several subspecies occurring in different African countries, is listed as a Vulnerable (VU) species on the IUCN Red List. 

About Kuno National Park (KNP): 

• Location: located in the Sheopur and Shivpuri districts of Madhya Pradesh. 
• Established: in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary and became a national park in 2018.
• Name: The park is named after the Kuno River, a tributary of the Chambal River that flows through the park.
• Size: The park covers an area of 748 sq km. 
• Vegetation: The park is dominated by "Kardhai", "Khair", and "Salai" trees. 
• Biodiversity: The park is home to a variety of avian fauna.
• Wildlife: The park is home to leopards and striped hyenas, and was once home to tigers and Asiatic lions.

Genesis of Cheetah Reintroduction in India

• Cheetah happens to be the only large carnivore that got completely wiped out from India and declared extinct in 1952, mainly due to overhunting and habitat loss. 
• 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.
• Discussions to bring the cheetah back to India were initiated in 2009 by the Wildlife Trust of India which initially met resistance from the Supreme Court.
• However, in early 2020, the Supreme Court lifted the ban it imposed on the cheetah project in 2013, permitting a limited import of cheetahs for an experimental reintroduction program. 
• Subsequently, the “Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India” was released by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in January 2022. 

Causes of Extinction of Cheetahs in India 

• The loss of habitat and overhunting were the main causes of the large cat population's full extinction in the early 1950s. 
• Hunting records for cheetahs date back to the 1550s, when they were captured for sport during the Mughal era. 
• Emperor Akbar kept 1,000 cheetahs in his menagerie during the Mughal era, mostly used for hunting.
• During Jahangir's rule, the world's first cheetah was raised in captivity in India. 
• In 1947, the last three cheetahs in the nation were hunted by Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo, the ruler of the former Korya state, which is now known as Chhattisgarh.

About Project Cheetah: 

• The project, initiated in 2022, involved the translocation of African cheetahs to Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, a habitat deemed suitable for their reintroduction. 
• Aim: To restore the population of cheetahs, which were declared extinct in the country in 1952.
• Nodal Agency: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and
  Wildlife Institute of India: Provides technical guidance.
  Madhya Pradesh Forest Department: Manages field operations.

Goals:

• Species Conservation: Protect the African cheetah population from extinction.
• Habitat Restoration: Enhance the health and biodiversity of India's savanna ecosystems.
• Community Engagement: Promote local economic development through eco-tourism.