Move To Translocate Fresh Batch Of Cheetahs From South Africa ‘Deadlocked’, SA Minister To Visit Kuno To Review Situation
The decision will be based on the scientific assessment of whether the re-location will have any negative impact on the survival of the cheetahs in the wild: South African authorities
BHOPAL: Negotiations with South Africa for fresh translocation of cheetahs to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno national park (KNP) have been ‘deadlocked’ with Pretoria sought a review the conditions of the big cats, officials said on Tuesday.
A three-member expert team including a senior officer of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) visited South Africa recently for discussion with the South African authorities to expedite the fresh translocation of cheetahs, a senior state government officer said here.
The team apprised the South African authorities of the ‘success’ of the cheetah introduction project in India with the big cats adapting to their new home and their coexistence with humans after the release of 17 cheetahs into the wild, the officer said, unwilling to be quoted. The team also explained the death of some cheetahs in the first year of the project, he added.
Sources said the South African authorities pointed out the ‘inadequate communication’ between the two governments on the matter. Sources said the South African authorities sought to review the cases of translocated cheetahs in Kuno individually by sending a minister before taking the final call on the fresh translocation of cheetahs.
The decision will be based on the scientific assessment of whether the re-location will have any negative impact on the survival of the cheetahs in the wild, the South African authorities said.
The negotiation has literally begun afresh since a new government has assumed office in South Africa and is going through ‘nuances and understanding’ of the project, the officer said. It may take some time to get a fresh batch of cheetahs from South Africa, a cheetah project official said.
The development has prompted India to source cheetahs from Kenya. However, environmentalists in Kenya have opposed the move citing the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rules.
Twenty cheetahs, eight from Namibia and 12 from South Africa, were brought to the KNP under the cheetah introduction project three years ago. Now, Kuno has a cheetah population of 27 after shifting two of its cheetahs to Gandhisagar wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh recently.
