Move to ‘Import’ Cheetah:Wildlife experts remain unimpressed

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Move to ‘Import’ Cheetah

Wildlife experts remain unimpressed

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 9

India’s decision to explore the possibility of bringing in cheetahs from

abroad to revive the long-legged spotted cat, now extinct in the country, has

not evoked a very encouraging response from eminent wildlife professionals.

Talking to The Tribune, animal experts Valmik Thapar and PK Sen said the

proposal was not something they would personally like to support. They felt a

better idea would be to instead concentrate on conserving the wildlife assets

India has today.

“It’s a very difficult task and not something I would like to propagate. My

suggestion would be to look after animals as they are today and make sure they

are kept safe. Once they have achieved that they can pursue other objectives,â€

said Thapar.

Former Project Tiger director and Ranthambore Foundation executive director PK

Sen also supports this point of view, saying it would be better if India

concentrated on saving the fast dwindling numbers of tigers, lions and leopards

in its jungles. “Every year we lose hundreds of leopards to poaching. The

probability (of bringing back the cheetah) is very low - I feel it’s a waste

of effort. If they think there is a probability of accomplishing this, let them

prove it first. I think it's just another impractical idea floated by some

high-level conservationists,†he added..

Sources said the environment & forests ministry plans to hold a review meeting

on the issue at Gajner in Bikaner district where plenty of prey for cheetahs is

available. “The possibility (of reintroducing the cheetah) will be studied on

the spot there,†they added.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday the

government was looking into the possibility of bringing the extinct animal to

India. “The cheetah is the only animal that has been declared extinct in India

in the last 1,000 years. We have to get them from abroad to repopulate the

species,†he said, responding to a calling attention notice from the BJP’s

Rajiv Pratap Rudy. He then added: “We hope to do so soon.â€

The notice followed a debate in the House with Ramesh admitting the situation in

16 of the 37 tiger reserves in the country was “truly alarmingâ€. Which is

why the big question - is India, where the number of tigers is steadily

decreasing every year, ready to receive the extinct big cat?

Terming the ‘reintroduction’ of the cheetah a “highly complicated task,

primarily due to lack of a suitable habitat†in the country, Thapar explained

this atypical member of the cat family is a very fragile animal that requires

lot of care. “It needs large stretches of grasslands, which the country

doesn’t have anymore as most of them have been converted to fields for

farming. So where will the cheetah live?†he questioned.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090710/nation.htm#25

 

 

Where is the Habitat and Prey base ?

Dr.Sandeep K.Jain

 

 

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