Project Chita completes two yearsImage credit source: Getty Images
Project Chita: An MoU is in progress to bring a new batch of leopards from Kenya. India has finalized it and the African country’s approval is awaited. A senior official gave this information. At the same time, International Big Cat Alliance Director General SP Yadav recently said that cheetahs will also be brought from Kenya for the breeding center being built at Bunny Grasslands in Gujarat.
As part of the cheetah rehabilitation efforts, 20 cheetahs have so far been brought to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 cheetahs were brought from South Africa in February 2023. Eight adult cheetahs have died since arriving in India. There were three female and five male leopards. 17 cubs were born in India, of which 12 are alive.
Along with this, the total number of leopards including cubs in Kuno has increased to 24. Currently all leopards are in captivity. The Project Cheetah initiative is completing two years on September 17. The action plan for cheetah restoration in India calls for bringing in about 12-14 cheetahs every year for five years from South Africa, Namibia and other African countries.
Winter season is the ideal time to bring leopards
Yadav, adviser to the Centre’s Cheetah Project Steering Committee, said, ‘Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) process is on. India has finalized it and the Kenyan government has to approve it. After this the two governments will sign the MoU. He said that talks are going on with South Africa. He has already identified 12 to 16 additional leopards.
Cheetahs are kept in a sanctuary in South Africa. He said if the population exceeds capacity, they either export the animals or kill them because they cannot handle the overpopulation. Yadav said that leopards will also be brought from Kenya for the conservation breeding center being set up in Banni and winter season is the ideal time to bring them. Officials said the conservation breeding center developed in a 500-hectare enclosure can house 16 leopards.
There are speculations about the death of the leopard due to poisoning
Yadav also dismissed reports that a Namibian cheetah named Pawan had died of poisoning last month. He clarified that there were no symptoms of poisoning such as saliva from the mouth or discharge from the nose. He said, ‘There was nothing like that. This is pure speculation.
Asked if the leopards could have drowned, he said it had rained heavily that night and there were drains full of stones and rocks. Yadav said, ‘We don’t know what happened, but indications suggest that the leopard died of drowning. There was no other reason. There were no marks on the body. Two doctors conducted a post-mortem and confirmed drowning. There was water in the lungs. This was an unfortunate incident.
Medicines will be given to the cheetah to prevent infection
When asked about the low number of poachers in Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, he said, ‘The number of leopards in the wild depends entirely on the prey population. We will not release more leopards if the prey population cannot support them. It is under our control. Yadav said that Kuno staff will administer prophylactic medication to the leopards in the forest through tranquilizers.
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He said if they fail there is no option but to recapture the animals. Prophylactic drugs are given to prevent infection. At the same time, when asked about the secrecy surrounding Project Chita, Yadav said the concept of secrecy is misleading. He said, ‘Bringing in Cheetah got unprecedented media attention. This is far more than any previous animal conservation effort.
What did SP Yadav say on the progress of Project Chita?
He said, ‘No country, not even developed countries, has dared to do such an experiment. If you look at the western media, it is hard for them to believe that India can do this. In July, the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department refused to provide information under the Right to Information Act on the management of cheetahs brought from Africa and their cubs born in India.
On the progress of Project Cheetah, Yadav said that when South Africa lost its entire cheetah population. So they imported the animals from Namibia and it took them 20 years to establish a viable population. He said, ‘In India, we lost all the tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan in 2005. It took about 15 years to reestablish a stable population there.
