Why in News?
India is finalising permissions to translocate African cheetahs from Botswana to India during January–February, as part of Project Cheetah, to restore the species after its extinction in India.
Description:
What is it?
- Nature: World’s first intercontinental large wild carnivore translocation project.
- Objective: Reintroduction of cheetahs into India after they were declared extinct in the country in 1952.
- African Cheetah – Vulnerable
- The Asiatic cheetah, Critically Endangered, is now found only in Iran, with estimates of the wild population ranging between 30 and 50 individuals.
Institutional / Administrative Framework:
- Nodal Agency: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
- International Regulation: Governed by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
Key Technical Parameters:
- Population Source: Botswana holds one of the world’s largest wild cheetah populations (est. 1,700–2,000).
- Current Status: 8 cheetahs are to be donated by Botswana; 5 are currently in quarantine at Mokolodi Nature Reserve.
- Timeline: Expected arrival in India by Jan-Feb 2026.
Indian Sites: Kuno National Park (MP), Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (MP)
Significance:
- Ecological: Restoring the grassland-savanna biome in India.
- Diplomatic: Strengthens South-South cooperation through conservation.
Limitations / Issues:
- Adaptation: Challenges regarding “winter coat” synchronization (growing a winter coat in the wrong season) and acclimatization to the Northern Hemisphere.
- Mortality: Managing survival rates after previous batches from Namibia and South Africa.
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