Two years ago, on September 17, the sight of Indian Air Force helicopters touching down at Palpur in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, ferrying eight cheetahs from Namibia in the final leg of their journey, had filled Indians with a sense of pride. The world took note of this science-backed transcontinental relocation, part of an ambitious project to reintroduce the large cats to the wild in India.
On the second anniversary of this momentous event, Union minister of environment, forest and climate change Bhupender Yadav declared the project a "success" on September 17, 2024. Something that prompted wildlife biologists and conservationists to come down heavily on the government and the Cheetah Project Steering Committee (CPSC) of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for patting themselves on the back instead of acknowledging that the spate of deaths (see Tragic Obituaries) and the fact that none of the 24 survivors-12 adults and 12 cubs-roam the wild have actually derailed the project. Pawan, the last cheetah to have most recently roamed the wild for about eight months, died in August. The NTCA has now announced that two South African cheetahs, Vayu and Agni, will be released into the wild by the end of this month.
The deaths of the eight adult cheetahs were not caused by factors mentioned as the potential causes of mortality in the Cheetah Action Plan (CAP), according to experts. "Free-ranging cheetahs died due to negligence in their monitoring. Reasons included an infection around the neck due to radio-collaring, the wrong choice of specimens for mating, and diseases contracted in enclosures and cages. None of the cheetahs died in conflicts with leopards, which had been cited as a major threat, nor from poaching. These losses were avoidable," says Dr M.K. Ranjitsinh, eminent wildlife expert and former head of the SC-appointed expert committee.
Esta historia es de la edición October 28, 2024 de India Today.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 28, 2024 de India Today.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Decoupling Dilemma
As Tensions Between India And China Thaw And The Trade Between Them Grows, India Faces The Tough Task Of Keeping Cheap Chinese Imports At Bay While Encouraging Those That Its Domestic Industry Needs
Killer Stress
Unhealthy work practices in Indian companies are taking a toll on employees, triggering health issues and sometimes even death
Shuttle Star
Ashwini Ponnappa was the only Indian to compete in the inaugural edition of BDMNTN-XL, a new international badminton tourney with a new format, held in Indonesia
There's No Planet B
All Living Things-Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) returns with 72 films to be screened across multiple locations from Nov. 22 to Dec. 8
AMPED UP AND UNPLUGGED
THE MAHINDRA INDEPENDENCE ROCK FESTIVAL PROMISES AN INTERESTING LINE-UP OF OLD AND NEW ACTS, CEMENTING ITS REPUTATION AS THE 'WOODSTOCK OF INDIA'
A Musical Marriage
Faezeh Jalali has returned to the Prithvi Theatre Festival with Runaway Brides, a hilarious musical about Indian weddings
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
Nikhil Advani’s adaptation of Freedom at Midnight details our tumultuous transition to an independent nation
Family Saga
RAMONA SEN's The Lady on the Horse doesn't lose its pace while narrating the story of five generations of a family in Calcutta
THE ETERNAL MOTHER
Prayaag Akbar's new novel delves into the complexities of contemporary India
TURNING A NEW LEAF
Since the turn of the century, we have lost hundreds of thousands of trees. Many had stood for centuries, weathering storms, wars, droughts and famines.