A somewhat forced introduction, or for that matter, re-introduction of any wild animal into a new habitat is an experiment with risks at the best of times. Learning it yet again, the hard way, is India which has witnessed eight of the 20 cheetahs brought from South Africa and Namibia as part of a ‘re-introduction’ project, dying within months after their arrival at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
Much is riding for India’s prowess on wildlife conservation on what happens next. The re-introduction from the beginning was mired in controversy, notwithstanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi throwing his considerable heft behind the project.
What happened thus far, be it the high-profile launch of the project, or the nagging questions on the wisdom and viability of the project, as well as Kuno’s suitability for the cheetahs, do not provide any confidence that the project will be a successful one, or at best, without considerable challenges ahead.
The reasons for the cheetah deaths will hopefully be established and the government will make them public so that we could all collectively understand the issue better, and make reasonable decisions for the future.
The truth about the causes for the deaths, whether natural as claimed by the MOEFCC, or otherwise, as claimed by cheetah biology experts who indicated that radio collaring them might not have been a good idea, with the last two deaths attributed to collar related infections, lies somewhere in between.
Critics will claim the truth is clear, staring in our faces, while the project supporters will naturally be more circumspect in choosing the semantics with greater reserve.
The problem is not with the cheetahs, after all, they had no say in what was happening with them. Failures in wildlife management, as wildlife experts indicate, is the norm rather than the exception.
The trouble lies with India’s wildlife managers who tailor the truth to please their political bosses. When the attitude change happens, things will begin to augur well, not just for the cheetahs but for all wildlife in the country.
