News Excerpt:
India is expected to host a delegation of Kenyan officials later this month to explore the possibility of sourcing cheetahs from the East African country for the next phase of Project Cheetah.
More about the news:
- India will host the Kenyan delegation to primarily discuss their willingness to translocate cheetahs to India, the terms of such a translocation, including the number of cheetahs they are willing to part with.
- As part of Project Cheetah, India plans to introduce eight to 14 cheetahs annually for five years, subject to availability.
- In December last year India expressed its desire to source cheetahs from Kenya during a visit of the Kenyan President William Ruto.
Project Cheetah:
- Project Cheetah is India’s ambitious attempt to introduce African cats in the wild in the country.
- Cheetah, the fastest land animal, was declared extinct in the country in 1952.
- It was launched in 2022 when the first eight cheetahs were transported to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park from Namibia.
- As of now, there are 27 cheetahs in Kuno – 13 adults and 14 cubs. Ten cheetahs have died so far owing to illnesses and infections.
- Deaths caused by infections are one of the key reasons India is looking towards Kenya as a potential source of the big cats.
Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary:
- Gandhi Sagar is a wildlife sanctuary located in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh.
- It is being developed as a second site for Cheetah relocation in the country.
- The upcoming visit of the Kenyan delegation might include a trip to the Gandhi Sagar sanctuary to assess the on-ground preparations made by the Madhya Pradesh forest department.
- Recently, a five-member team from South Africa too visited the Gandhi Sagar sanctuary and the Kuno National Park in MP.
- Sourcing cheetahs from South Africa for introduction in Gandhi Sagar is also under consideration.
