One Year of Project Cheetah: Progress and Challenges in India’s Cheetah Reintroduction Effort

Context:

• One year after the initiation of Project Cheetah, India’s attempt to reintroduce African cheetahs into the country’s wild, has reported significant accomplishments. 

Project Cheetah: Milestones Achieved in Conservation and Local Community Engagement

• The Project Cheetah has achieved short-term success on four counts: 
  • 50% survival of introduced cheetahs
  • Establishment of home ranges
  • Birth of cubs in Kuno
  • Revenue generation for local communities

Assessing Project Cheetah: Achievements and Challenges in Conservation Efforts

• Survival of Cheetah: According to India’s official Cheetah Action Plan, the eight cheetah imports from Namibia should have spent a cumulative 75 ‘cheetah months’ in the wild.
  • However, in reality, they spent just about 16 ‘cheetah months’ outside the bomas (Chart).
  • Yet, the project lost 40% of its functional adult population. 
•  Establishment of home ranges: Fewer than four cheetahs have stayed continuously in the wild for more than three months. 
  • It is improbable that any of these cats would have formed “home ranges” in Kuno.
• Reproduction: The goal, as per the Action Plan, was successful Cheetah reproduction in the wild. 
  • However, the Namibian female that gave birth to four cubs in Kuno, was captive raised herself.

• Livelihood: The project has generated a number of jobs and contracts for the local communities, and the price of land has appreciated significantly around Kuno. 
  • No human-cheetah conflict has been reported in the area.

News Source: Indian Express 

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