For the first time in over 70 years, wild cheetahs are once again present in India. In September 2022, eight cheetahs were released into Kuno National Park in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, having been flown from Namibia – the first ever large carnivore translocation between continents.
They were followed by a further 12 individuals from Namibia and South Africa in February 2023, together seeding the reintroduction of the species and making India once again the only country where all five species of Old World big cats can be found.
Feasibility concerns
This Spring – the second breeding season so far – has already seen a new litter of cubs born, with more hopefully to follow. But Project Cheetah, to give it its rather direct and unadorned official title, was met with feasibility concerns from its inception, which grew serious last year.
While many large mammals in India are under increasing threat, the cheetah is the only carnivore declared extinct from the country in living memory. Until that extinction in 1952, India had been the eastern limit of the cheetah’s historic distribution, which covered most of Africa outside the Congo Basin, plus a distinct Asiatic subspecies ranging from the Arabian Peninsula through central Asia.
The Asiatic cheetah is now critically endangered, with barely double digit numbers of breeding adults in Iran. It will be a miracle if this species survives the current decade, which is why India obtains individuals from healthier African populations.
Setbacks for Project Cheetah
Over the last year and a half, the project has seen many ups and downs.The first eight reintroduced cheetahs got off to a good start, quickly demonstrating that they could hunt the native Indian prey. In March last year, the first wild cubs were born; a good sign that the arrivals had adjusted well to their new habitat.
However, the project has subsequently seen a high mortality rate. The first casualty was a five year-old female who died of a renal infection in March 2023. A male died of heart failure in April, followed by the completely avoidable death of a second female in May.
In the latter case, wildlife officials decided to risk mating between two males and one female, who were still kept separately in large enclosures to acclimatise them to the release site. Doors between the enclosures were opened to allow them to meet, and soon afterwards the female was found with injuries consistent with a violent interaction. Despite being taken for veterinary treatment, she didn’t survive – an unnecessary tragedy.
Further deaths suggest that the climate crisis may make such reintroductions increasingly difficult. Three of the four cubs born last March died in May, likely due to heat stress as India hit temperatures of 47°C.
Ongoing debate
Campaigners and conservationists have criticised aspects of the project, and some of these deaths have given weight to their concerns.
Ever since the Indian courts gave permission in 2020 to introduce cheetahs of the African subspecies, Project Cheetah appears to have been partly coopted into a political campaign, with the first release used as a PR stunt for the birthday of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The project has arguably placed greater stock on international headlines than the ecology or welfare of the animals themselves.
Some experts have also suggested that the area around Kuno National Park faces too much pressure from agriculture and human settlement to allow for a viable population of cheetahs to establish and disperse, and that there’s an insufficient prey base in the park.
But in fairness, plenty of work has gone into improving habitat in Kuno over the past several decades – including relocating human settlements (with the consent of villagers) from a core area of the park which had previously been intended as a site for introducing a new population of Asiatic lions from the neighbouring state of Gujarat. This lion population is isolated in a relatively small area, and consequently vulnerable to threats like disease epidemics, which would be mitigated by establishing a separate population.
Causes for optimism
Despite India’s Supreme Court ruling that this lion translocation should go ahead, none have yet been moved to Kuno, simply because Gujarat refuses to give up its monopoly over the population with its associated prestige and tourism value.
Nevertheless, preparations in Kuno have been ongoing. While prey densities were initially considered low, the relocation of villages and their cattle has seen subsequent population increases in wild ungulates like chital, sambar deer, and four-horned antelope. These changes will be of benefit to cheetahs as much as to lions, and the presence of the reintroduced cheetahs now adds greater urgency to conservation efforts and the expansion of wildlife corridors through the wider landscape.
While Project Cheetah has faced setbacks, it’s important to clarify that its high mortality rate isn’t out of the ordinary for large carnivore translocations. The project is still in its early stages, with more individuals set to be brought from Africa over the coming years, and more cubs being born.
Whilst some eminent scientists criticise this project as an ill-advised attempt, and while more diligence should be taken, the concerns raised must nevertheless be balanced against the urgency of the global biodiversity crisis. Ambition on the scale of this project is necessary to change the trajectory.
Project Cheetah, despite criticism and disappointments, could still be inspirational for conservation. Let’s hope that this year’s new cubs hit the ground running.
