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| September 21, 2009 | India plans to bring back the cheetah | | London: Reports indicate that India is planning a serious initiative to bring the cheetah back to India and make it the "flagship species" of the country's grasslands,
which do not have a single prominent animal now. Studies show that over 200 cheetahs
were killed in India during the colonial period mainly due to conflicts with sheep
and goat herders, and not because they were gunned down by trophy hunters. Research
showed that were at least 230 cheetahs in India between 1799 and 1968 - and the
cat was reportedly sighted for the last time in the country in 1967-68. According
to a report by BBC News, a recent meeting of wildlife officials, cheetah experts
and conservationists from all over the world discussed the "reintroduction" of
the spotted cat and agreed that the case for its return was strong. Seven sites
- national parks, sanctuaries and other open areas - in the four states of Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh have been short listed as potential homes
for the cheetah. These sites will now be surveyed extensively to find out the
state of the habitat, the number of prey and prospects of man-animal conflict
to finally determine whether they can accommodate the cheetah. If one or more
sites are found to have favourable habitat and prey for the cheetah, India will
then possibly have to import the cat from Africa, because the numbers of the Asiatic
cheetah, which are available only in Iran, have dwindled to under 100. Genetic
scientists like the US-based Stephen O' Brien say that the genetic similarities
between the Iranian and African cheetah is "very close", so there should be no
problems bringing the latter to India. Most of the experts agreed that wild cheetahs
or the progeny of wild cheetahs in captivity should be brought to India, quarantined
for a while, and released in the selected habitats. According to Dr Laurie Marker,
founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, reintroducing the cheetah "will not
be easy - but it is doable". "We have the techniques and knowledge to do it. The
cheetah living in India again might be a good thing. Its extinction is fairly
recent and it is a top predator which could help by becoming an icon, help bring
back the health of grassland ecosystems," she said.
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