The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has recently commemorated the successful running of the massive ‘Project Cheetah’ at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. This project, launched with the purpose of reintroducing the cheetah, the world’s fastest inhabiting land animal, into India. Motivated with such a success, the Centre is now considering extending the project to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
A Leap towards Conservation
Initiated in 2022, ‘Project Cheetah’ is a positive attempt to reconstruct the lost face of India’s fauna by reintroducing cheetahs to the country. In this the twenty cubs were trans-located to the Kuno National park from the African continent. Originally, the mortality rate was less than desired, but it has surprisingly remained low and, in total, only eight cheetahs have been affected negatively by different circumstances. This achievement has been a shot on the arm for the project in terms of legitimacy and future viability.
WII’s contribution to Project Cheetah
Cheetah being called a flagship species, a lot of importance has been given to ‘Project Cheetah’, carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India. WII have been following the movements of cheetahs and making sure that they make the best out of the new habitat that’s provided to them. The institute has gone a long way in ensuring that there is a survival of about 60% and as a result, there are 17 cubs from the female cheetahs.
Expansion
Inspired by the project in Kuno National Park, the Centre is now considering launching similar programme in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. Located on the Northern boundary of Mandsaur and Neemuch districts in the state of Madhya Pradesh this sanctuary provides a conducive environment for the cheetahs. The expansion programme is to join Kuno and Gandhi Sagar into one long cheetah conservation stretch leading to increased genetic pool strength and sustainability of the species.
Challenges and Considerations
Although the extension of the survey to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is a good thing, it has its own difficulties. Thus, the factors which should be solved are the presence of food for prey, the conflict with people, and the balance of an ecosystem. It is imperative that the Centre with the help of WII also has to adopt stringent management measures in terms of controlling these challenges in order to make their project successful.
Future of Cheetah Conservation in India
Specifically, the performance of ‘Project Cheetah and its further implementation at the Gandhi Sagar WLS can be regarded as one of the successful steps of India in the sphere of wildlife conservation. Besides the goal of repopulating the cheetahs, this project is embedded with the vision of protecting this unique species across the world. If India being part of more intensive contemplation and planning then it will be ready to be an influential advocate in conservation of cheetah in further advancement giving a better future to these beautiful carnivores.
Project Cheetah
Initiated in early 2022, ‘Project Cheetah’ is a huge mission to reintroduce the cheetah which is the world’s fastest living mammal back into India’s wild. This project has brought a new achievement in India’s wildlife conservation since cheetah was earlier considered locally extinct in the country since 1952. The prime intent behind Project Cheetah is to reintroduce cheetahs in India and support the global effort to preserve this incredible animal.
Background
The cheetah which inhabited areas across the length and breadth of this country saw its population plummet due to the many factors such as loss of habitat, hunting and conflicts with man. Fully understanding the future and biological role of cheetah in the Indian landscape, the government of India, with the help of the world society for wildlife, started the process of reintroduction of the cheetah into the wilderness.
The First Phase: Kuno National Park
After looking into the various factors and considerations Kuno National Park was selected for its first phase. These factors of diversity of habitat and plenty of preys in the park recommended it for the project. The project was started in September 2022 when 20 cheetahs were trans-located from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park. Despite initial concerns, the cheetahs adapted well to their new environment, with a lower-than-expected mortality rate.
Challenges and Considerations
Even thought of introduction to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is prominent step towards its conservation. Another aspect that has to take into consideration are the availability of prey, conflict of man and wildlife and the natural balance. In order to overcome the above said challenges the Centre along with WII will have to come out with effective management strategies to make the project a success.
Community Engagement and Sensitization
Project Cheetah requires involvement of local communities and education of the inhabitants about cheetah preservation as complementary activities for its effectiveness to be achieved. Efforts to pass information on the natural value of cheetahs together with the value of wildlife conservation will empower the villagers to take appropriate measures and actively participate in cheetah conservation. Moreover, it was suggested that by promoting eco-tourism it is possible to create economic benefits for the communities, which correspond to the objectives of the project.
Conservation in India
Project Cheetah, and its expansion plan to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary are considered landmark achievements in Wildlife Conservation in India. At the same time, returning cheetahs into their natural environment is the primary and secondary objectives of the project are to conserve the cheetah species and restore the ecosystem. More work needs to be done and therefore further planning required for future for cheetahs stay in India.
Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary
Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is spread in the North Western Madhya Pradesh and features a lot of wildlife and mesmerizing bio geographical regions. The sanctuary is located over an area of more than 368 km, and it got its name after the Gandhi Sagar Dam. The sanctuary is located on the north side of Mandsaur and Neemuch districts sharing borders with the state of Rajasthan.
Historical Significance
It was declared in 1974, an extended area was notified in the year 1983. The sanctuary’s geography was defined in large part by the construction of the Gandhi Sagar Dam in the year 1960. A number of mammal and bird species have benefited from the dam and its reservoir to make the region their home. Sanctuary also contains certain archaeological and religious significance locations like Chaurasigarh and Chaturbhujnath temple at Bhilwara, Bhadkaji Rock Paintings, Hinglajgarh Fort & Taxakeshwar temple.
Ecosystem and Biodiversity
GSWS lies in the rocky area having shallow topsoil favours savannah vegetation system. The area consists of the plain and grasslands that have occasional dry deciduous trees, and shrubs and riverine valley that is mostly evergreen. Some of the other trees plantations found in this sanctuary are Khair, Salai, Kardhai, Dhawda, Tendu, and Palash. The sanctuary supports herbivores such as Chinkara (Indian gazelle), Nilgai, Spotted Deer, carnivores like Indian Leopard, Striped Hyena, and Jackal, etc. Crocodiles, fish, otters and turtles also inhabit the reservoir and there is abundant water vegetation. Furthermore, the site is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area conservation site because of the diverse bird species.
Conservation Efforts
This sanctuary has thus received much attention because of its applicability in cheetahs’ reintroduction in India. The Madhya Pradesh government for Project Cheetah has conducted all requisite arrangements for translocation of cheetahs from Africa to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. The cheetahs have adapted well to live in this sanctuary because of its similarity with Maasai Mara in Kenya, with abundant savannah wilderness.
Tourism and Accessibility
Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is thereby giving the bird and the animal lovers and tourists something unique. The ideal time to visit is during the monsoon and they also offer a view of the petite waterfalls created when the dam’s floodgates are opened. Bird watching is also recommended in winter as the weather is still moderate throughout this season. The sanctuary can be approached both by road transport, with facilities of air at Indore and rail at Bhawanimandi, Jhalawar and Shamgarh.
WII is Wildlife Institute of India
It is a primary organisation in india to look over wildlife management. WII was set up in 1982 under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to develop increased understanding of India’s diverse wildlife resources.
Mission and Objectives
The objective of WII is to provide professional development for wildlife personnel to contribute towards management and sustainable utilisation of wildlife in India. It seeks to produce research and offer technological support to the animal wildlife management and conservation processes. It also employs training and education to increase capacity to support pro-conservation professionals in a network through training.
Investigations and Preservation Endeavours
WII has carried out investigations on different aspect of wildlife ecology, behavioural pattern and wildlife conservation. Its research themes focus on areas such as; biological inventory, wildlife management, endangered species, and approaches to reduce human-wildlife interactions. These research initiatives are therefore conducted jointly with National and international organizations in order to ensure that information gathered correspond with the objectives of global conservation.
It is important to mention that WII has been actively participating in Project Tiger, which is the Indian flag ship conservation program for tiger. For the implementation of this project, WII offers scientific advice, tracking assistance, and training to strengthen organizations’ capacities. Moreover, it has direct involvement in the successful effort of Project Cheetah that has brought cheetahs into India and proves its proficiency in species’ recovery and management.
Training and Education
WII provides independent and organized training programmes, workshops, and courses in the field of wildlife to the personnel, students, research scholars, and other related personnel. These programs focus on areas like management of wild life, remote sensing, Geographical Information Systems and Biodiversity conservation among others. The institute participants get a complete and comprehensive knowledge in combined with the modern facilities and highly experienced teachers is the field based training.
Outreach and sensitisation
From experience, WII is a massive program that bases most of its effort on community participation and raising awareness. The institute engages in sensitization of the local people to embrace wildlife conservation and management by holding outreaches. Hence through promotion of culture of conservation among local inhabitants, WII wants to ensure local people are proud of their responsibility towards wildlife conservation.