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Why in the News?
Recently, Indian and Namibian government signed an agreement for the relocation of the cheetahs from southern Africa to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park.
Key Points:
- Over the next five years, India plans to introduce 50 cheetahs, possibly ten each year, with 10-12 large cats to be brought from Namibia and South Africa.
- The country’s last cheetah died in 1947, and the cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952.
- The ‘African Cheetah Introduction Project in India’ was conceived in 2009, but it failed to take off for over a decade.
Highlights of the Agreement:
- The cheetahs will arrive in India for a one-year trial period.
Need for reintroduction:
- To re-establish the ecosystem function role of the cheetah in representative areas of its former range and
- To contribute to the global effort towards the conservation of the cheetah as a species.
Causes of extinction of cheetahs in India:
- Its reduced levels of genetic heterogeneity due to a historical genetic bottleneck resulting in low fertility and high infant mortality in the wild.
- Its inability to breed in captivity.
- Sport hunting and bounty killings
Other Recruitments:
About Cheetah:
Habitats: The cheetah’s habitat was also diverse, favouring the more open habitats: scrub forests, dry grasslands, savannas and other arid and semiarid open habitats. Protection Status:
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About Kuno National Park:
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