Inquiry Into Cheetahs’ Deaths Points To Natural Causes, Centre Informs SC

Relevance: GS 3 - Environment; Conservation

(Source: The Hindu, 08/01/23)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, the environment ministry and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) informed the Supreme Court that the deaths of eight cheetahs at Kuno National Park were likely due to natural causes. 
  • Under Project Cheetah, a total of 20 radio-collared cheetahs were brought from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, in a first ever transcontinental wild to wild translocation.
• Out of twenty Cheetahs translocated only fifteen adult cheetahs and one Indian-born cub has survived. 

What did the center say in court?

• Low survival rate: The government informed the court that cheetahs have a low survival rate of 50% even in adults and a survival rate of about 10% for cubs in an "introduced population" of cheetahs.
• No evidence of unnatural causes: It said that there was no evidence of unnatural reasons like poaching, sharing, road hits, electrocution, etc., or unsuitability at the Kuno site.

What are the causes of Cheetah Deaths?

• Three India-born cheetah cubs died at Kuno National Park due to extreme heat and weakness. The cubs were found to be severely dehydrated and underweight.
• Kidney-related ailment.
• Infighting during mating and also during establishing their territories.
• Some reports in the media have attributed the death of Cheetahs due to radio collar injuries.

What are steps taken to ensure the well-being of the surviving cheetahs?

• Investigating the cause of deaths: Independent national experts are currently conducting a review of the existing monitoring protocols, protection status, managerial inputs, veterinary facilities, and training and capacity building aspects. 
• Consultation with international cheetah experts: Consultation with veterinary doctors from South Africa and Namibia is being done on a regular basis. 
• Capturing and administering critical medical examinations to surviving Cheetahs.

What is Project Cheetah?

• Project Cheetah aims to bring back independent India’s only extinct large mammal – the cheetah. 
• According to the action plan, the government and the NTCA plan to introduce 12-14 cheetahs annually from African countries over the next five years. 
• However, this will depend on the availability of cheetahs from these countries and the conditions of the habitat, prey base, and on-ground protection measures.

Objectives of the project are

• To establish breeding cheetah populations in safe habitats across its historical range and manage them as a metapopulation.
• Using Cheetah as a flagship and umbrella species to attract resources for restoring open forest and savanna systems that will benefit biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• To enhance India’s capacity to sequester carbon through ecosystem restoration activities in cheetah conservation areas and thereby contribute towards the global climate change mitigation goals.
• Promoting eco-development and eco-tourism to enhance local community livelihoods.

About Cheetahs

• The cheetah is a big cat endemic to Africa and Southwest Asia. 
• It is the fastest land animal, capable of running at speeds ranging from 80 to 98 km/h, and as such has evolved unique adaptations for speed, such as a light frame, long slender legs, and a long tail. 
• The cheetah lives in a variety of settings, including savannahs in the Serengeti, dry mountain ranges in the Sahara, and mountainous desert terrain in Iran. 
• The cheetah is threatened by a number of issues, including habitat degradation, interaction with humans, poaching, and high sensitivity to illness.

Protection status

About Kuno National Park

• Kuno National Park is a national park and wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, India. It takes its name from the Kuno River.
• It was established in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary with an initial area of 344.686 km2 in the districts of Sheopur and Morena. It was designated a national park in 2018.
• Chital, sambar, nilgai, wild pig, chinkara, and cattle are all present in good numbers.
•  Kardhai, Salai, and Khair trees dominate the forested area of Kuno National Park, which is mostly mixed forest, allowing for a wide range of flora and fauna species.

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FAQs 

MCQ

Question: Consider the following statements:

1. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change.
2. It is the apex body that administers ‘Project Tiger’

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only 

(b) 2 only 

(c) Both 1 and 2 

(d) Neither 1 nor 2