Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, the first home to translocated cheetahs in India, continues to struggle with a high leopard population and a low prey base, while the twin challenges have delayed preparations at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, selected as the second site for cheetah introduction.
Summary records from meetings of the Centre's Cheetah Project Steering Committee reveal that prey augmentation and leopard management are among the major challenges facing the grand initiative since the reintroduction of cheetahs in India in September 2022.
The low prey density is also one of the reasons why cheetahs spent an extended period in enclosures in Kuno after being brought back from the wild in August last year, following the death of three cheetahs due to septicemia.
As an interim solution, authorities have been introducing prey into both Kuno and Gandhi Sagar. The high leopard population in both areas also prompted the initiation of a leopard translocation drive.
Cheetahs have coexisted with leopards and lions in Africa, but some officials in India consider the high leopard population in Kuno and Gandhi Sagar a problem as it would "reduce the prey biomass for cheetahs".
Madhya Pradesh has the maximum number of leopards in the country at 3,907 (up from 3,421 in 2018), according to the government's "Status of Leopards in India" report launched earlier this year. In a steering committee meeting on June 18, Sanjay Raikhere, DFO Mandsaur, reported that there were 24 leopards in the 64 sq km enclosure being prepared for the new batch of cheetahs in Gandhi Sagar.
According to sources, 15 leopards have been relocated from there so far. Sources have told PTI that Gandhi Sagar is "not 100 per cent ready" for cheetahs, largely owing to the leopard and prey base challenges.
"We are working on making the fencing leopard-proof. We also need to improve the prey population both inside and outside the enclosure," a source said. Gandhi Sagar is spread across 368 sq km and has an additional 2,500 sq km area surrounding it.
According to the "Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in Gandhi Sagar", five to eight cheetahs will be released into a 64 sq-km predator-proof fenced area in the first phase with a focus on breeding. The long-term goal is to establish a metapopulation of 60-70 cheetahs in the Kuno-Gandhisagar landscape. -- PTI
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