CHEETAH REINTRODUCTION IN INDIA

First transcontinental translocation of cheetah was happened in 2022. Prime minister Narendra Modi released the cheetahs into Kuno National Park situated in Madhya Pradesh.
The project aims to restore the cheetah population in India which declared extinct in 1952. The first set of 8 cheetah where brought from Namibia followed by 12 from South Africa

Significance of this reintroduction

• Re-establish a population of cheetahs into areas where they had previously existed but were hunted into extinction during and after the Mughal Period, Rajput and Maratha Indian royalty and later by the British Raj, until the early 20th century when only several thousand remained
• Restore open forests and grassland ecosystems in India
• Conserve biodiversity and enhance various ecosystem services

Challenges associated with the reintroduction

• Human-wildlife conflict
• Loss of habitat and loss of prey
• Illegal trafficking
• Emphasis on agriculture eventually led to less forest land
• Climate change
• Releasing the cheetahs into free-roaming conditions poses substantial risks
• No Protected Areas in India are fenced
• This is the first intercontinental reintroduction of a wild, large carnivore species and therefore there is no comparable historical precedent
for more information: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1922515