Despite the recent death of the only free-ranging male, authorities in India plan to continue with the Indian cheetah project. According to the India Express there has been enough success for the ambitious project to continue.
The plan behind Project Cheetah is to return African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) to central India. The fleet cats were once common in India. They were eliminated from India in the 1950’s The primary goal is to create a stable cheetah population. A secondary hope is that the cats will cause important and favorable changes in the region’s ecosystem.
When wolves were returned to Yellowstone National Park, for example the canines made important changes in the park. Their presence impacted the numbers and behaviors of many animals and birds and and even changed the balance of flora in the park. Something similar may occur in India if the project succeeds.
The project is two years old and backers feel they have learned enough to continue with the ambitious effort. Recent problems have, however, caused severe criticism.
It was feared the recent death of the sole free-ranging male might doom the project.
Javan was found dead, possibly from suspected drowning. Since cheetahs rarely drown the actual cause of death was not immediately known.
As envisioned the Indian cheetah project involved transplanting cheetahs from Namibia (and Suth Africa) to India. The transplanted cats were to be acclimated to life in India and then released. But many of the transplanted cats have died. The others are in captive isolation and may not be released into the wild.
India has had a number of conservation successes, including Project Tiger, which helped bring that regal cat back from the brink of extinction. The potential failure of Project Cheetah has brought out critical response.
“Dr Ravi Chellam, a wildlife biologist and conservation scientist, believes that India’s cheetah endeavor has reached a conservation dead end, with little hope for revival.
When asked if the multimillion dollar cheetah project could be salvaged, Chellam’s response was blunt: “Not really, because we’ve put the cart before the horse.”
“We should have first prepared a sufficient extent of suitable habitat and then brought the cats. Instead, the cats have been here in India for nearly two years, and we are still preparing small fragments of habitat, fencing these areas, and focusing on captive breeding,” he said.
Indian conservationists appear ready to press on with the Indian chetah project and learn from mistakes.
Pavan’s life and death echoes that of P-22. P-22 was the famous Los Angeles mountain lion (Puma concolor) whose exploits pushed development of the Liberty Canyon overcrossing. He succumbed to old age, chronic disease and the results of a car strike. He was one of over 100 of the big cats who have studied by the National Park Service.
“Dr Laurie Marker, one of the world’s foremost cheetah experts, said the recent death marks a significant setback for the Indian cheetah project.
“[Pavan’s death is] very sad. He had been out for nearly two years, showing how well wild cheetahs can live,” Marker told This Week in Asia.
“Reintroduction is a very, very hard process. We need many cheetahs to re-establish an extinct population. The process is not easy. We will celebrate Pavan’s life for helping his species regain territory in India. I ask all of India to honour him and what he stands for,” Marker said.” Marker is executive director of theCheetah Conservation Fund.
The Project Cheetah setback has to be viewed against the risks facing cheetahs world wide. There are about 7,000 thought to be alive now, the majority in Africa. Asiatic cheetahs survive in Iran in a complex political situation. They may number as few as 30 and as many as 100. The Iranian Cheetah Society is seeking to protect the and help them recover.