India considers importing cheetahs from Somalia, Tanzania and Sudan
India was considering importing new cheetahs from Somalia, Tanzania, Sudan and other countries closer to the equator or in the Northern Hemisphere to avoid biorhythm problems common to big cats imported from Southern Hemisphere countries such as South Africa and Namibia, according to official data.
Due to differences in circadian rhythms between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, some cheetahs developed a thick winter coat during the late summer and monsoon last year, in preparation for the African winter (June to September).
Three of the cheetahs – a Namibian female and two South African males – died after sustaining wounds under their winter fur, on their backs and necks, which became infested with maggots and caused blood infections.
PTI has learned from sources that cheetahs in Namibia and South Africa have grown thick winter coats again. Despite these concerns, talks are underway with countries in the southern hemisphere to bring in new cheetahs.
“Discussions are on with all countries, including South Africa and Namibia, but we have not formally approached anyone yet. Currently, our focus is on addressing immediate issues such as increasing the prey base, managing the leopard population and preparing the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary,” a source told PTI.
Documents obtained by PTI through an RTI request show that chairman Rajesh Gopal, during a meeting of the steering committee on August 10 last year, had said that the time taken for cheetahs from southern hemisphere countries to adjust their biorhythms to the local environment, climate and conditions in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh could be a major factor in their deaths.
“In the absence of biorhythmic adaptation, some cheetahs succumbed to ectoparasitic infections during their coat change, which was in sync with the climatic conditions of their previous habitat. The third generation of surviving cheetahs would be more resistant and better adapted to the Kuno conditions,” Gopal said at the meeting.
He acknowledged the possibility of further mortality due to this problem and advised that “future cheetahs for reintroduction should come from countries in the northern hemisphere, such as Kenya or Somalia, to avoid biorhythmic complications”.
According to the Africa Range-Wide Cheetah Conservation Initiative, Southern and East Africa are strongholds for the species, although parts of these regions are experiencing significant habitat loss.
The current distribution in several countries, such as Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Angola, Mozambique and Zambia, is still largely unknown.
At a Steering Committee meeting on September 4, Gopal reiterated the importance of aligning biorhythms, particularly circadian rhythms, with local climatic conditions.
He stressed that cheetahs from South Africa are adapted to the climatic conditions of the Southern Hemisphere, which has a different climate regime. Therefore, it is crucial that the National Tiger Conservation Authority prioritizes the acquisition of new cheetahs from countries in the Northern Hemisphere, such as Kenya and Somalia.
The taxonomic variation between subspecies is not particularly significant, “as the cheetahs from South Africa also belong to a different subspecies,” he said.
At another meeting on October 27, the committee stressed that cheetahs should not come from countries in the southern hemisphere of Africa, based on experiences with changes in circadian rhythm and skin infections.
At the next meeting on December 13, Amit Mallick, then inspector general of forests at the NTCA, said steps had been taken to “bring more cheetahs from other habitats including Kenya, Tanzania and Sudan”.
However, this issue was not discussed at the subsequent meetings on 12 March, 18 June and 23 August. The focus of these meetings was on prey expansion, leopard population management in Kuno and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, grass restoration, capacity building, strengthening of SOPs and setting the schedule for cheetah release in Kuno.
Some of the 20 cheetahs brought to India so far — eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa last February — were initially released into the wild but were returned to their enclosures on August 13 last year after three cheetahs died of blood poisoning.
At a meeting on Friday, the steering committee decided to release the African cheetahs and their Indian-born cubs into the wild in phases after the monsoon withdraws from the central parts of the country, which usually happens in the first week of October.
“While the adult cheetahs will be released into the wild in phases once the rains are over, the cubs and their mothers will be released after December,” an official told PTI.
All 25 cheetahs — 13 adults and 12 cubs — are currently doing well. The animals have been vaccinated to protect them from diseases and have been given prophylactic drugs to prevent infections, the official said.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been edited by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First publication: Aug 26, 2024 | 12:39 PM IST