Three of the 20 cheetahs brought from Africa to India have died, leading to criticism that their new habitat is unsuitable.
One of the cheetahs moved to India in February 2. Image: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
A program to reintroduce cheetahs in India after 75 years has been controversial after three leopards died in recent weeks, raising fears their new habitats are not suitable. The cheetah became extinct in India in 3. Since October 1952, 10 cheetahs have been moved from South Africa and Namibia here under a government program and live in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh state, according to the report. Guardian.
The first eight cheetahs arrived and were released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself into a small fenced enclosure on his 8nd birthday. Since then, the remaining 72 African cheetahs have arrived in India by plane one after another. The government's plan is to release a total of 12 cheetahs over the next 50-5 years.
However, the program has been criticized by many wildlife and conservation experts. They argue that Kuno National Park is not a suitable habitat for so many cheetahs. This animal often roams the territory of thousands of square kilometers. In Kuno, their territory is less than 1.295 square kilometers.
Concern has been heightened in recent weeks following the deaths of three captive cheetahs in their enclosures inside Kuno National Park, just months after arriving in India. The male leopard named Sasha died of a pre-existing disease in March, another died in April. The female leopard named Daksha died in May from violent mating after being put in a cage with two other males.
During a Supreme Court hearing last week, a panel of judges concluded that Kuno National Park is not a suitable habitat for dozens of African cheetahs. The density of cheetahs in the same place is too high. They suggested moving some of the cheetahs to another state like Rajasthan. The Indian scientists who led the reintroduction program stressed that mortality was within expectations and was not a sign of project failure. They said four young cheetahs have been born since the project started.
For experts who criticized the reintroduction experiment, the high court's conclusion came too late. They are also concerned that India lacks experience in adequately caring for cheetahs, especially when they have been kept in captivity for so long. Up to now, only 3 big cats have been released into the national park, the remaining 17 are still living in cages.
Ravi Chellam, coordinator of the Biodiversity Collaborative, called the program "a frivolous project" and created a "flashy safari park" that has nothing to do with conservation, which could negatively affect the health of the cheetahs. “Why are cheetahs kept in captivity for so long? Why did they bring more than 20 cheetahs from Africa if the national park can only hold 8-10? What are we trying to achieve here?”
In response to the high court's conclusion, a government representative said a task force was investigating the deaths of the cheetahs and studying other habitats that may contain some of them.
An Khang (Follow Guardian)
