Cheetah arrival misses Aug 15 deadline

New Delhi, Aug 17: India's ambitious project to translocate African cheetahs has missed an unofficial deadline of August 15, but the animals are likely to arrive within this year.

The government had planned to bring the first batch of eight cheetahs comprising four male and as many female cheetahs before August 15, to commemorate 75 years of Independence. But administrative delays, as well as the presence of leopards near the soft release enclosure in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno-Palpur National Park (KNP) meant for cheetahs, are believed to be the reason behind the delay in Cheetah reintroduction plan.

The exact dates of the arrival of cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa in Madhya Pradesh are not confirmed. However, the animals are expected to arrive within this year and it would still be among the fastest such translocations anywhere in the world.

Ahead of their maiden journey to MP's Kuno Park, the Cheetah underwent a health examination conducted by a team of international experts of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia.

Earlier, six leopards had entered the enclosure, spread over 5 square km, meant for cheetahs during an acclimatization phase at the KNP. While two of them were chased away, efforts to drive out the rest four over several days are in vain, the officials admitted.

Cheetahs became extinct in India in 1952. The 'African Cheetah Introduction Project in India' has been underway since 2009, before picking up speed in the last few years.

India plans to introduce 8-10 cheetahs every year with a total 50 from Namibia, South Africa and other African countries over the next five years.

Though the agreement to translocate 12 more African Cheetahs from South Africa is in the final stages, the officials said that only the first batch from Namibia is now likely to travel to India this month - especially if signing the agreement with South Africa takes more time.

"We do not intend to wait. The initial plan was to bring them together. We have to see when the agreement with South Africa is signed. The travel dates for Cheetahs from Namibia have not been finalised but we are trying our best so that they will travel this month," said a senior scientist involved with the translocation programme told Hindustan Times.

"Their health screening formalities have been done. The formalities from India side were a rabies vaccine; screening for viral diseases and ecto and endo-parasites. But we have conducted many more health checks to prevent any challenges," he said.

Though the agreement to translocate 12 more African Cheetahs from South Africa is in the final stages, the officials said that only the first batch from Namibia is now likely to travel to India this month.

While India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Namibian government for the import of cheetahs, it is also in the process of inking agreements with private game reserves in South Africa and the government for more big cats.