Wild Cheetahs finally will be living in Kuno Palpur Sanctuary in India’s Madhya Pradesh. All those who matter in India have finally agreed to the plan.
Wild cheetah’s eight specimen (5 males and 3 females) are expected to land there by forthcoming Deepawali festival in November 2021. MP forest officials are cock-a-hoop.
Vincent Van Der Merme from Endangered Wildlife Trust in South Africa consented for Kuno to be the most ideal habitat. The Trust is poised to give the predators as a “free gift” to India. It was Chhattisgarh, then part of Madhya Pradesh, where the last Cheetah was spotted in late 40s. The species was declared “extinct” in India mid 50s.
All efforts to allow cheetahs relive in India’s wild
Dr. Ranjtsinhji, prince of Wankaner and an incredible wildlife expert, has been running an endless campaign to let Cheetahs relive in India’s wild. From government offices to Supreme Court, he knocked at each door to let decision makers listen to his reason. Some persons tried to oppose the move but smelt dust. Supreme Court authorized him last year to go ahead. Wildlife Institute of India’s Dean, Yadvendra Y. Jhala is the key scientist who led the team to assess various habitats to select one.
The extinct species in India ought to be introduced!
The plea was simple: an extinct species in India ought to be introduced! About 750 sq. km area of Kuno was at one time teeming with Tigers which became extinct a few decades ago. Leopards roam as lone predators ever since. It was cited as ideal forest to introduce Gir Lions. The Supreme Court supported the plea. However, Gujarat’s politico-administrative adamancy did not permit Lions. Ranthambhore Tigers often frequent Kuno, the extra population making its way out.
New guest to be accommodated warm welcome
Rs 14-crore are being disbursed by Ministry of Environment & Forest to MP Forest Department and Wildlife Institute of India to ready the habitat. It is to be barbed-wire-fenced to not let the new guest predator ram into village livestock and cause alarms at the very start. It is the fastest runner mammal on earth. Tourism practioners in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, about 140 km from Kuno, have started calculating how to encash Kuno’s Cheetah through jeep safaris. In between flows the Chambal river offering Marsh crocodile, Gavial, Tortoise, Gangetic Dolphin, birds, etc., with the rare Indian Skimmer breeding on its islands.
Will Ranthambhore-Chambal-Kuno belt become a new wilderness hotspot?
The Ranthambhore-Chambal-Kuno belt has reasons to become a wilderness hot-spot. Who will bell the cat: to script a positive tourism centric conservation idiom. Ranthambhore’s tourism revenue is estimated to be Rs 110-crore annually. Nearly 90% of it is pocketed by hoteliers. The authorities are advised to invite a meaningful conservationist like Bittu Sahgal, founder editor of Sanctuary Asia magazine, to pilot such a project. His initiatives, especially “Mud on Boots” are globally recognized achievements to support stake-holders.