NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, FEB 3
Rajasthan and Gujarat are hoping the African cheetah would be introduced to suitable habitats in the two states as one of the three places–Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary–chosen for the purpose a decade back may no longer be suitable for it in the absence of necessities like a proper prey base.
The Supreme Court last week allowed the Centre to take a call on the introduction after the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) sought its permission for introducing the cheetah from Namibia. The top court had put on hold the plan when then Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh envisaged it almost 10 years back. The last Indian cheetah became extinct around 70 years back.
A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant said, the apex court will monitor the project and the committee will submit its report before it every four months.
Madhya Pradesh officials said Kuno Palpur now has a tiger, lesser grasslands and fewer chinkara and blackbucks, the prey base necessary for the survival of the Cheetah, the fastest animal on the planet. Their counterparts in Gujarat and Rajasthan insisted habitats in their states having better grasslands and better prey base.
An expert panel had selected Kuno Palpur, Gujarat’s Velavadar Black Buck Sanctuary and National Park and Tal Chhapar Sanctuary (Rajasthan) for the African cheetah’s introduction.
Madhya Pradesh’s additional principal chief forest conservator (wildlife), J S Chauhan, said they will welcome the decision if a Supreme Court-appointed panel selects Kuno Palpur for the cheetah’s introduction. But he added the task of creating an African savanna-like ecosystem is not easy. “It will take a lot of time. We are well equipped to do it as we did it efficiently in Kuno Palpur earlier to make it a suitable habitat for lions proposed to be brought from Gujarat.”
Chauhan cited the presence of a tiger in Kuno Palpur unlike in 2010 and added large parts of the sanctuary are now wooded. “We do not know how the tiger will react to the presence of a carnivore like a cheetah. Another challenge will have to maintain genetic diversity. A relocation of just a couple of cheetahs will not do. We will have to bring more cheetahs later to ensure the genetic diversity of cheetahs,” he said.
Genetic diversity helps a species to adapt to changing environments.
Madhya Pradesh’s forest department wrote to the NTCA in August 2018 seeking the cheetah’s introduction to Nauradehi Sanctuary, calling it a more feasible site. Officials said the move indicated the state government was no more keen on introducing the cheetah to Kuno Palpur because of changes to its ecological biodiversity.
“If we agree to cheetahs in Kuno, our claim to have lions from Gir National Park in Gujarat would weaken,” a Madhya Pradesh forest department official said on condition of anonymity.
Translocation of Gir lions to Kuno Palpur was proposed as part of an Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project in 1995 to prevent threats of epidemics, natural disasters and to create another sanctuary for them. Gujarat has been opposing the proposed shifting.
Retired forest conservator Jagdish Chandra said cheetahs have been indigenous to Madhya Pradesh and were spotted in the Gwalior region about seven decades back. He added cheetahs and lions can coexist.
Environmentalist Ajay Dubey said the cheetah relocation project will succeed in Madhya Pradesh as the region was home to cheetahs before 1950. “But this cannot succeed until there is good grassland management and prey base available for the cheetahs.”
Rajasthan and Gujarat’s forest officials said they were very keen on getting cheetahs. A Gujarat official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said their state provides several options for the cheetah relocation. “We have huge grassland habitats in the state’s western part which could be developed into a natural habitat for the cheetah. Velavadar is one of them,” the official said.
Experts agreed Velavadar has a bright chance given its good savanna grasslands that are necessary for the survival of the cheetahs.
Mumbai-based Wildlife Conservation Trust president, Anish Andheria, said Velavadar also has adequate blackbuck population, the prey for cheetahs, and enough open spaces for them to catch them.
But Andheria pointed out the park in Bhavnagar district is spread over only about 35 square km and its expansion would not be easy as it is surrounded by densely populated villages.
Rajasthan’s chief wildlife warden, Arindam Tomar, said they were looking for habitats apart from Tal Chappar where cheetahs can be introduced.
Another forest official said Tal Chappar may not be developed into a good habitat as it is very small. But he added they have other strong options. “Alternatively, Desert National Park [Jaisalmer] spread over an area of about 100 square km with adequate prey base of blackbucks can be developed for the cheetah introduction,” the official said on condition of anonymity. He added the Desert National Park has good savanna grasslands.
Forest officials from the three states said that they would make presentations before the Supreme Court’s expert committee to stake their claims for habitat for the cheetah introduction.
M K Ranjitsinh, who has been appointed as the panel’s head, said they would revisit the previously selected possible cheetah habitats before recommending a name to the Supreme Court for the cheetah introduction.
