'No More Big Cats Should Be Brought Home': Experts in Year 2 of Project Cheetah
The QuintSo 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 project, inadequate consultation with folks who have a wealth of experience and knowledge of wild and free-ranging cheetahs, poor levels of preparedness in India, especially in terms of having adequate good quality habitats for the released cheetahs, hyped up and unrealistic conservation goals and low levels of transparency." Chellam adds, “ Cheetahs are a low-density and wide-ranging species occurring in densities of 1-2 cats per 100 sq km even in the best of habitats. Renowned wildlife conservationist, MK Ranjitsinh who has always championed the cause of getting the cheetahs to India, admits that things haven’t gone as planned – “In the action plan, the mortalities provided for are in transit and acclimatisation, by resident tigers and leopards, from injuries caused by the above, causing inability to catch normal prey, from poisoning and poaching, etc.