Explained | Cheetahs and tigers: the saga of big cats in India
2 years ago

Explained | Cheetahs and tigers: the saga of big cats in India

The Hindu  

The story so far: This year marked the arrival of Namibian cheetahs to India, the first intercontinental transfer of wild cats into the country since independence. The cheetahs — five females and three males — were flown into India following several weeks of medical supervision in Namibia. As part of improving their odds of long-term survival, young animals are being reared as part of conservation efforts in Namibia and then sent to different parts of the world, including India. The consistent implementation of Project Tiger since 1973, whereby dedicated tiger reserves were established in India, as well as anti-poaching measures have played a significant role in tiger conservation.

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History of this topic

Tiger Tracking Intensified in Komaram Bheem Asifabad District
3 weeks, 1 day ago

Tiger Tracking Intensified in Komaram Bheem Asifabad District

Deccan Chronicle  

Adilabad: The forest staff intensified the tracking of the tiger, suspected of killing a woman and injuring a man in two successive days last week, through 40 camera traps, two drones and nearly 100 field staff along Telangana’s border with Maharashtra in the Kagaznagar forest division in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district on Sunday. Speaking to media personnel, Asifabad district forest …

India plans to bring more cheetahs from Kenya
3 months, 2 weeks ago

India plans to bring more cheetahs from Kenya

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: India has renewed its interest in bringing a fresh batch of cheetahs from Kenya, a country in the northern hemisphere with seasonal patterns similar to that of India, officials said. The move comes after India faced hiccups in conservation of cheetahs brought from southern hemisphere countries, such as South Africa and Namibia as a few of the big …

Indian Delegation’s Visit to South Africa Deferred After Another Cheetah Dies, Kenya Also On the List
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Indian Delegation’s Visit to South Africa Deferred After Another Cheetah Dies, Kenya Also On the List

News 18  

A high-level Indian delegation which was expected to visit South Africa this week to discuss translocation of the next batch of cheetahs has been deferred. The Indian delegation consisting of wildlife experts also planned to study South Africa’s captive-breeding program, and their further upkeep, and meet with the South Africa Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Environment to discuss the translocation. …

India considered sourcing cheetahs from Somalia, Tanzania, Sudan to avoid adaptation challenges
3 months, 4 weeks ago

India considered sourcing cheetahs from Somalia, Tanzania, Sudan to avoid adaptation challenges

Hindustan Times  

India considered sourcing new cheetahs from Somalia, Tanzania, Sudan and other range countries closer to the equator or in the Northern Hemisphere to avoid biorhythm complications observed in big cats brought from Southern Hemisphere countries like South Africa and Namibia, according to official records. Documents obtained by PTI through an RTI application revealed that during a steering committee meeting on …

Tiger Day Spotlight: Key facts and shocking stats on how the numbers went down
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Tiger Day Spotlight: Key facts and shocking stats on how the numbers went down

India Today  

International Tiger Day, celebrated annually on July 29 since 2010 to raise awareness about tiger conservation, brings our attention to what are perhaps the most majestic creatures on the planet. TIGER POPULATION TODAY AND CONSERVATION EFFORTS According to the latest estimates, approximately 5,574 wild tigers are remaining globally as per Global tiger Forum. India is home to approximately 80% of …

The government has trapped Project Tiger, now 50, in a tough spot | Explained
11 months, 2 weeks ago

The government has trapped Project Tiger, now 50, in a tough spot | Explained

The Hindu  

Launched in 1973, Project Tiger introduced India’s Tiger Reserves – which have since rapidly ascended in status. Today, Tiger Reserves are hailed worldwide as India’s miraculous success story in environment and forest conservation, especially in this age of climate change. The amendment also didn’t prohibit the diversion of a “tiger’s forest” for development projects, and allowed wildlife to be killed …

Cheetahs may be flown in from new countries
1 year, 2 months ago

Cheetahs may be flown in from new countries

The Hindu  

With six adult cheetahs dying within the first year of their relocation to India, wildlife experts associated with Project Cheetah are considering options of importing the next batch of big cats from countries other than South Africa and Namibia. Though it was expected that future batches of the animals would be brought from South Africa and Namibia — the result …

Project Cheetah, a year on
1 year, 3 months ago

Project Cheetah, a year on

The Hindu  

The story so far: The first batch of eight cheetahs from Namibia arrived on September 17, 2022, officially launching Project Cheetah, India’s cheetah introduction programme. The goal of the introduction of African cheetahs is to “establish viable cheetah metapopulation in India that allows the cheetah to perform its functional role as a top predator and provides space for the expansion …

Cheetah Project on right path to becoming successful: Government report
1 year, 3 months ago

Cheetah Project on right path to becoming successful: Government report

The Hindu  

Four of the six criteria established for assessing the short-term success of India's cheetah reintroduction programme have already been met, a government report said on Sunday. The Cheetah Action Plan, published last year, lists six short-term success criteria, including 50% survival of the introduced cheetahs for the first year, establishment of home ranges in Kuno National Park, successful cheetah reproduction …

'No More Big Cats Should Be Brought Home': Experts in Year 2 of Project Cheetah
1 year, 3 months ago

'No More Big Cats Should Be Brought Home': Experts in Year 2 of Project Cheetah

The Quint  

So where do we go from here and what are the next steps? Big cat Specialist and CEO of Metastring Foundation, Dr Ravi Chellam is unequivocal on what needs to be done – “The introduction of African Cheetahs in India suffers from a few fundamental flaws. These include the disregard of science to inform the planning and execution of the …

India to import more Cheetahs despite mysterious deaths of 9 big cats in MP
1 year, 3 months ago

India to import more Cheetahs despite mysterious deaths of 9 big cats in MP

Live Mint  

The Indian government is planning to spend crore of rupees on the import of Cheetahs from South Africa once again. Project Cheetah head SP Yadav on Saturday told PTI news agency that Cheetahs will be imported from South Africa and introduced into Madhya Pradesh's Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. However, Yadav did not share any specific date when the Cheetahs will …

‘I do not buy the claims that Project Tiger has been a spectacular success in recent times’
1 year, 4 months ago

‘I do not buy the claims that Project Tiger has been a spectacular success in recent times’

The Hindu  

“We should have clear-cut goals and aim for that and have measurements to show if we are heading towards the goal or not,” believes leading tiger expert Dr. K. Ullas Karanth, who was part of the recent Nature inFocus Festival, a three-day event in Bengaluru, celebrating nature, wildlife and conservation. You have discussed how our ambition for the tiger project …

M.P. strategy for tigers can help cheetahs too
1 year, 4 months ago

M.P. strategy for tigers can help cheetahs too

The Hindu  

Balancing the population of both predators and prey was a key factor enabling a 50% surge in Madhya Pradesh’s tiger population, helping the State snag the top spot in the 2022 census, according to tiger experts. An update to the 2022 tiger census publicised last week reported a total of 3,682 beasts, with M.P., for the second time in the …

India should go for younger cheetahs habituated to human presence: experts
1 year, 4 months ago

India should go for younger cheetahs habituated to human presence: experts

The Hindu  

Younger cheetahs that are habituated to management vehicles and human presence are preferred candidates for relocation to India, international experts involved in Project Cheetah have told the government based on the lessons learnt from the initial experience in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park. OPINION | Snap judgement: On India’s Project Cheetah They emphasised that young adult cheetahs are more adaptable …

International Tiger Day: History shows how big cat count declined in India
1 year, 4 months ago

International Tiger Day: History shows how big cat count declined in India

India Today  

In order to celebrate the mighty big cats, July 29 marks International Tiger Day. Indian tigers are considered to be the most ferocious of all tiger breeds, and in recent times, the number of tigers has seen an increase in the country, an annual rise of 6 per cent, according to the latest government data released on Saturday. Mughal emperor …

India’s tiger population rises, Madhya Pradesh has most big cats
1 year, 4 months ago

India’s tiger population rises, Madhya Pradesh has most big cats

The Hindu  

July 29, 2023 09:56 pm | Updated July 30, 2023 08:08 am IST - NEW DELHI India’s tiger population increased to 3,682 in 2022, up from 2,967 in 2018, according to an estimate released on Saturday. India’s tigers are largely concentrated in 53 dedicated tiger reserves spread across 75,796 square km, spanning about 2.3% of India’s total land area. Enhanced …

Review of Divyabhanusinh’s The Story of India’s Cheetahs: A spotted history
1 year, 4 months ago

Review of Divyabhanusinh’s The Story of India’s Cheetahs: A spotted history

The Hindu  

Come September, it will be a year since the first batch of cheetahs — five females and three males — landed in Gwalior aboard a specially-configured Boeing 747 aircraft after a long journey from Windhoek, Namibia. Three of the first litter of four born in India also died from malnutrition and the scorching summer at Kuno National Park, where 11 …

DC Edit | Take care of India's cheetahs
1 year, 5 months ago

DC Edit | Take care of India's cheetahs

Deccan Chronicle  

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 …

Explained | How are cheetahs faring in India?
1 year, 5 months ago

Explained | How are cheetahs faring in India?

The Hindu  

The story so far: As more deaths of cheetahs have been reported last week from the Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, an expert committee charged with managing the Project Cheetah programme has recommended that all animals undergo a thorough medical review. Unlike cheetahs in South Africa and Namibia that are living in fenced reserves, India’s plan is to have them …

Tiger protection in India also saved 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions – new study
1 year, 6 months ago

Tiger protection in India also saved 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions – new study

The Quint  

Tiger protection in India also saved 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions – new study GUDKOV ANDREY/shutterstock The year 2023 coincided with the 50th anniversary of India’s groundbreaking Project Tiger, an innovative programme designed to rescue the country’s iconic big cat from the precipice of extinction. According to the authors of the new study, the strict protection provided within India’s …

Two-month-old cheetah cub dies in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park
1 year, 7 months ago

Two-month-old cheetah cub dies in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park

The Hindu  

One more cheetah, this time a cub, has died at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, wildlife authorities said on Tuesday. The likely cause of death, officials said, was “from weakness”, with a press note from the Centre stating that the two-month old cub was the “smallest and weakest of the litter.” Literature and experience from Africa suggests that …

Snap judgement: On India’s Project Cheetah
1 year, 7 months ago

Snap judgement: On India’s Project Cheetah

The Hindu  

It is almost three months since South Africa sent a batch of 12 cheetahs to India and two have already died. Taken along with the death of one of the eight cheetahs from Namibia — it had a pre-existing renal infection — and it emerges that about 15% of the animals have not made it past the first phase of …

India to release five more cheetah into Kuno National Park
1 year, 7 months ago

India to release five more cheetah into Kuno National Park

Live Mint  

The environment ministry has announced plans to release an additional five cheetahs into the wild at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh before the monsoon season begins, marking significant progress in the nation's ambitious cheetah reintroduction initiative. According to a ministry statement, the five cheetahs—three females and two males—have successfully completed the acclimatization process and are prepared for release into …

‘We can easily reach 10,000 tigers’: Dr K. Ullas Karanth, leading tiger expert - Frontline
1 year, 7 months ago

‘We can easily reach 10,000 tigers’: Dr K. Ullas Karanth, leading tiger expert - Frontline

The Hindu  

Published : May 04, 2023 11:00 IST - 11 MINS READ With the recent announcement of India’s latest tiger population figures, the striped cats are in the news again. So, even assuming a modest rise in population density to 3 tigers per 100 sq km across the country’s tiger habitats, we can easily reach 10,000 tigers. Highlights “Even assuming a …

How to spot a tiger responsibly
1 year, 7 months ago

How to spot a tiger responsibly

Live Mint  

Fifty years after Project Tiger was launched in 1973 to stem the alarming decline in tiger numbers, India has 53 safe zones for these big cats. Joanna Van Gruisen, who runs The Sarai at Toria with her conservation biologist husband Raghu Chundawat, says eco-lodging is about respecting the wildlife and environment, providing benefit to the communities in which it is …

Project Tiger@50: Success but at what cost?
1 year, 8 months ago

Project Tiger@50: Success but at what cost?

The Hindu  

The count of tigers in India has increased but has this come at the expense of other species and vulnerable local communities. The legislation established protected areas, prohibited hunting of most species of wildlife, and created a new “protectionist” paradigm for conservation of wildlife in India. India’s current protection-centric model, which prioritises conservation of large charismatic species, may not effectively …

Can we democratise tiger conservation in India?
1 year, 8 months ago

Can we democratise tiger conservation in India?

The Hindu  

“It is like a big safari park,” a Russian scientist working on Siberian tigers whispered conspiratorially to us after his first visit to Ranthambore National Park in 1996. But as we celebrate 50 years of the Act, and of the marquee Project Tiger that helped bring back our national animal from the brink of extinction, we also need to reflect …

Explained | India’s mega global alliance to protect big cats
1 year, 8 months ago

Explained | India’s mega global alliance to protect big cats

The Hindu  

The story so far: Five decades after India launched ‘Project Tiger’ to check the dwindling population of the big cats and protect their natural habitat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week unveiled a global alliance that will work towards the protection and conservation of six species besides the tiger — the cheetah, jaguar, leopard, lion, puma and snow leopard. The …

Why 3,167 Tigers in a Land of 141 Crore Indians is a Huge Achievement - News18
1 year, 8 months ago

Why 3,167 Tigers in a Land of 141 Crore Indians is a Huge Achievement - News18

News 18  

It’s a great feeling to know that the number of tigers in the wild in India has gone up from 1,827 in 1973 when Project Tiger was launched to the more scientifically ascertained 1,411 in 2006 to 3,167 today. We were left with a colonial legacy that saw wild animals as “game” — to be killed at will for clearing …

DC Edit | It's time to rejoice as tiger numbers rising
1 year, 8 months ago

DC Edit | It's time to rejoice as tiger numbers rising

Deccan Chronicle  

The standard outlook when it comes to conservation of natural resources, particularly in a country like India seeking to leapfrog into a $5 trillion economy, is that there may not be many reasons to cheer. Even better is the news that the numbers of Asiatic lions rose from 523 to 674, and that of leopards increased from 7,910 to 12,852 …

Burning bright: on the latest quadrennial census of India’s wild tiger population
1 year, 8 months ago

Burning bright: on the latest quadrennial census of India’s wild tiger population

The Hindu  

India’s tiger population in 2022 was at least 3,167 cats, according to the results of the quadrennial census of the tiger population. Being able to ensure an increase in tiger numbers without relying on fenced reserves and by engaging the participation of forest-dwelling communities in conservation are distinct traits of India’s big cat conservation approach. The Western Ghats, while one …

International Tiger Day: India’s tiger population is rising: How will we accommodate the big cats?
1 year, 8 months ago

International Tiger Day: India’s tiger population is rising: How will we accommodate the big cats?

Firstpost  

India is home to 70 per cent of the world’s wild tiger population – approximately 3,682. According to the 5th cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2022 summary report, India has a minimum of 3,167 tigers and is now home to more than 70 per cent of the world’s wild tiger population. Further data analysis using the latest statistical …

Ecology, economy not in conflict: PM on tigers
1 year, 8 months ago

Ecology, economy not in conflict: PM on tigers

Hindustan Times  

The tiger population in India saw a jump of 6.74% from 2,967 in 2018, to 3,167 in 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday. “India is the largest tiger range country in the world, the largest Asiatic elephant range country with nearly 30,000 elephants, and also the largest single-horn rhino country with a population of nearly 3,000,” the PM …

As tiger count grows, India’s Indigenous demand land rights
1 year, 8 months ago

As tiger count grows, India’s Indigenous demand land rights

Associated Press  

BENGALURU, India — It was a celebratory atmosphere for officials gathered just hours away from several of India’s major tiger reserves in the southern city of Mysuru, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Sunday to much applause that the country’s tiger population has steadily grown to over 3,000 since its flagship conservation program began 50 years ago after concerns that …

Tiger Zinda Hai: Judicial Lens
1 year, 8 months ago

Tiger Zinda Hai: Judicial Lens

Hindustan Times  

When every Indian’s heart today is screaming an Oscar the focus has happily shifted to wildlife and forests. Tracing through the journey of saving the tigers and their survival, in fact, some of the specific cases that decided the survival of tigers by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India were its landmark intervention in a case of financial irregularity relating …

As tiger count grows, India’s Indigenous demand land rights
1 year, 8 months ago

As tiger count grows, India’s Indigenous demand land rights

LA Times  

Tigers roam the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur, India, in 2015. It was a celebratory atmosphere for officials gathered just hours away from several of India’s major tiger reserves in the southern city of Mysuru, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Sunday to much applause that the country’s tiger population has steadily grown to over 3,000 since its flagship …

Cheetahs exploring habitat, nothing to worry: Project Tiger head on straying incident in Madhya Pradesh
1 year, 8 months ago

Cheetahs exploring habitat, nothing to worry: Project Tiger head on straying incident in Madhya Pradesh

The Hindu  

Cheetahs released into the wild are exploring their habitat and it is a very good sign, a senior Environment Ministry official has said after a spotted feline strayed out of Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park recently. Forest officials in Madhya Pradesh have trained around 400 "cheetah mitras" from 51 villages. Under the ambitious Cheetah reintroduction programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi …

The Hindu Archives, fifty years ago, March 31, 1973 | A great day for the Indian tiger
1 year, 8 months ago

The Hindu Archives, fifty years ago, March 31, 1973 | A great day for the Indian tiger

The Hindu  

New Delhi, March 30: April 1 promises to be a great day for the Indian tiger which has recently taken the place of the lion as the national animal, as a new project will be launched on that day to save this species from extinction. The Project Tiger, as it is called, will be inaugurated at the famous Corbett National …

Can the cheetahs help India’s grasslands? | The Hindu Parley podcast
1 year, 9 months ago

Can the cheetahs help India’s grasslands? | The Hindu Parley podcast

The Hindu  

Since September 2022, India has translocated eight African cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa. The aim is to be able to build a self-sustaining population, centred at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, which will also contribute to the global survival of the cheetah as a species. Can the cheetahs thrive in India and help India’s grasslands? Guests: Rajesh …

12 Cheetahs from South Africa Get New Home in Kuno. But Can India Reintroduce the Asian Big Cat?
1 year, 10 months ago

12 Cheetahs from South Africa Get New Home in Kuno. But Can India Reintroduce the Asian Big Cat?

News 18  

As twelve cheetahs flown from South Africa were released into the quarantine enclosures at the Kuno National Park in the Sheopur district on Saturday, experts have said that it would be impossible to reintroduce the Asiatic cheetahs in India. Vincent van der Merwe, a veterinarian who is closely involved in India’s ‘Project Cheetah’, explained that there were only about 30 …

12 cheetahs from South Africa find new home in M.P.’s Kuno National Park; animal count rises to 20
1 year, 10 months ago

12 cheetahs from South Africa find new home in M.P.’s Kuno National Park; animal count rises to 20

The Hindu  

Twelve cheetahs arrived in Madhya Pradesh from South Africa on Saturday and were released into the quarantine enclosures at the Kuno National Park in Sheopur district, five months after the first batch of eight of these fastest land animals were brought there from Namibia, another African nation. Experts said a delegation from South Africa had visited the KNP early September …

India to get 12 cheetahs from South Africa every year, MoU inked
1 year, 10 months ago

India to get 12 cheetahs from South Africa every year, MoU inked

Hindustan Times  

India has inked a pact with South Africa to bring 12 cheetahs from the African country in February as part of its cheetah translocation project, an official statement said. The big cats will join eight cheetahs introduced in MP’s Kuno National Park from Namibia last year HT reported on January 26 that the two sides have inked a memorandum of …

How many tigers can India’s forests sustain?
1 year, 11 months ago

How many tigers can India’s forests sustain?

Hindustan Times  

Two newsworthy events will occur this year. Second, India’s most successful wildlife conservation venture, Project Tiger, will turn 50 this April, a milestone to be celebrated with another record estimate of tiger numbers. Tigers also don’t understand human-drawn boundaries or maps — national parks, wildlife sanctuaries or tiger reserves. A decade ago, Valmiki Tiger Reserve had fallen off the tiger …

12 cheetahs may be brought from South Africa on Jan 20
1 year, 11 months ago

12 cheetahs may be brought from South Africa on Jan 20

Hindustan Times  

A total of 12 cheetahs are likely to come to India from South Africa on January 20 under the cheetah translocation project, officials aware of the matter said on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first batch of eight cheetahs from Namibia into a quarantine enclosure at the Kuno National Park on September 17. According to the ‘Action Plan …

Cheetahs in India: 12-14 more of the big cats will call India 'home', says govt
2 years ago

Cheetahs in India: 12-14 more of the big cats will call India 'home', says govt

Hindustan Times  

Twelve to fourteen cheetahs will be relocated from Africa over the next five years as part of the government's efforts to re-introduce the big cat to India's forests, union environment minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey told the Rajya Sabha Thursday. The union minister said ₹38.7 crore from Project Tiger had been allocated towards the re-introduction of cheetahs in India - a …

How has ‘Project Cheetah’ progressed in India?
2 years ago

How has ‘Project Cheetah’ progressed in India?

The Hindu  

In September 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a coalition of cheetahs into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The proposal for the project, known as ‘Project Cheetah’, was prepared in 2008-09 under the then PM Manmohan Singh. The cheetahs were flown into India following several weeks of medical supervision in Namibia. The eight cheetahs were housed in six …

What happened to the plan to translocate lions in India | In Focus podcast
2 years ago

What happened to the plan to translocate lions in India | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

On the eve of World Wildlife Conservation Day, December 4 and so, perhaps an apt time to discuss one of the first animals most people think about in the context of our country: our lions. Speaking of big cats however, there’s another one now in the picture -- the eight African cheetahs that were brought in from Namibia to the …

Wildlife scientists say bringing African cheetahs to India is an ill-advised move
2 years, 2 months ago

Wildlife scientists say bringing African cheetahs to India is an ill-advised move

The Hindu  

Eight wildlife scientists have raised concerns over the Central government's move to introduce African cheetahs in India. The scientists, in an article titled “Introducing African cheetahs to India is an ill-advised conservation attempt”, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, said that there are unknown ecological, disease-related and genetic risks involved in replacing Asiatic cheetahs with the larger cheetahs from southern …

Congress leader Nana Patole says Centre 'deliberately' brought Namibian cheetahs to spread lumpy skin disease in India
2 years, 2 months ago

Congress leader Nana Patole says Centre 'deliberately' brought Namibian cheetahs to spread lumpy skin disease in India

Op India  

Nana Patole, another treasure from the Congress vault, issued a bizarre statement on Monday saying that the lumpy skin disease virus, which has been prevailing in Nigeria for many years, is being spread in India by the eight Cheetahs that Central Government brought in from Namibia. In a video shared by news agency ANI, Nana Patole is heard saying, “This …

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