Arrogance of Ignorance' Behind Project Cheetah Deaths: Top Conservation Specialist
1 year, 1 month ago

Arrogance of Ignorance' Behind Project Cheetah Deaths: Top Conservation Specialist

Deccan Chronicle  

HYDERABAD: The death of cheetahs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, that were brought from South Africa and Namibia as part of a prestigious ‘cheetah reintroduction’ project, was the result of ‘arrogance of ignorance’, said Dr Y.V. Jhala, renowned wildlife researcher and conservation specialist, who played a key role in the project. The former dean of Wildlife Institute of India, who was involved with the project for around a decade and is credited with playing a major role in designing the cheetah project, was in the city to speak at an event organised by the WWF-India on the use of technology in wildlife conservation. Asked what lessons had been learnt from the Kuno tragedy, Jhala said “what we have learnt from what happened so far is a question for the people, who will implement the project now.” Incidentally, Jhala was suddenly dropped from the project this February after his two-year extension at the Wildlife Institute of India as its dean was curtailed after one year.

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History of this topic

Madhya Pradesh: Cheetah Shaurya dies at Kuno National Park, 10th fatality since start of project | VIDEO
11 months, 1 week ago

Madhya Pradesh: Cheetah Shaurya dies at Kuno National Park, 10th fatality since start of project | VIDEO

India TV News  

Another cheetah, part of India's ambitious Project Cheetah, has met an untimely demise at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park. Project Cheetah: India's Cheetah conservation initiative Project Cheetah involves the relocation of 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park. Chronicle of Cheetah deaths raises alarms Shaurya's demise adds to the string of cheetah fatalities at Kuno National …

Cheetah project on the right path to becoming succesful: Govt report
1 year, 3 months ago

Cheetah project on the right path to becoming succesful: Govt report

Op India  

On Sunday, the Government of India released an official report on the completion of one year of the ambitious Cheetah reintroduction programme. However, with concerted efforts by officials and managers from India, Namibia, and South Africa, along with support from the highest offices in all three countries, the project is on its assured path to recovery.” Last year, the Cheetah …

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 …

Kuno Cheetah Deaths| Mortalities Troubling But Not ‘Unduly Alarming’: Centre To Supreme Court
1 year, 4 months ago

Kuno Cheetah Deaths| Mortalities Troubling But Not ‘Unduly Alarming’: Centre To Supreme Court

Live Law  

In the wake of recent deaths of Cheetahs translocated to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park from the African continent, the Centre has informed the Supreme Court than even though the mortalities among the introduced cheetah population are troubling, they are not ‘unduly alarming’. The Apex Court has been hearing an application moved by an expert committee constituted to ‘guide and …

One more cheetah dies at Kuno, taking the total toll to six
1 year, 4 months ago

One more cheetah dies at Kuno, taking the total toll to six

The Hindu  

One more cheetah has been confirmed dead by wildlife authorities at the Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. While a post-mortem is under way, the female nicknamed Dhatri and sourced from South Africa, is believed to have contracted a parasitic infection following repeatedly scratching its skin and wounding itself. Following reports that some of the previous deaths were likely …

Another cheetah dies at Kuno National Park, 9th since March
1 year, 4 months ago

Another cheetah dies at Kuno National Park, 9th since March

India Today  

A female cheetah 'Dhatri' was found dead in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park on Wednesday morning. This is the ninth death since March at the Kuno National Park where 20 cheetahs were imported from South Africa and Namibia as part of an ambitious initiative known as Project Cheetah. These include capturing and conducting critical medical examinations on all remaining cheetahs, …

Inquiry into cheetahs’ deaths points to natural causes, Centre informs SC
1 year, 4 months ago

Inquiry into cheetahs’ deaths points to natural causes, Centre informs SC

The Hindu  

The environment ministry and the National Tiger Conservation Authority on Monday informed the Supreme Court that a provisional diagnosis of the deaths of eight cheetahs at Kuno National Park “point towards natural causes”. The affidavit submitted that besides the Kuno National Park and its extended landscape of 6800 per sq.km, the NTCA has requested Madhya Pradesh on June 28 to …

Cheetah deaths: ‘40% died within a year…’, SC seeks Centre’s response
1 year, 5 months ago

Cheetah deaths: ‘40% died within a year…’, SC seeks Centre’s response

Live Mint  

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday sought the central government's response to cheetahs deaths at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. A total of eight cheetahs have died this year including five mortalities of adult individuals, and three cubs at the Kuno National Park. “Of the 20 translocated Cheetahs from South Africa and Namibia, five mortalities of adult …

Top wildlife official at Kuno National Park removed after 8 cheetahs die
1 year, 5 months ago

Top wildlife official at Kuno National Park removed after 8 cheetahs die

India Today  

A top Indian wildlife official has been removed after a scheme to relocate cheetahs from Africa saw eight felines die, raising questions about the high-profile project. Eight cheetahs were brought in from Namibia, followed by another 12 from South Africa in February, with Modi presiding over the release of the first arrivals at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh …

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 …

Cheetah experts blame communications breakdown for ‘avoidable deaths’
1 year, 5 months ago

Cheetah experts blame communications breakdown for ‘avoidable deaths’

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Officials overseeing a landmark effort …

Cheetah deaths at Kuno | Panel recommends medical review for all cheetahs
1 year, 5 months ago

Cheetah deaths at Kuno | Panel recommends medical review for all cheetahs

The Hindu  

Considering that two cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park translocated to India last year from South Africa and Namibia as part of Project Cheetah have died in the last week, the expert advisory committee overseeing the implementation of Project Cheetah has recommended that all the animals undergo a thorough, physical medical review. The medical review recommended will involve recalling …

Why Indian govt, global experts disagree on cause of recent cheetah deaths
1 year, 5 months ago

Why Indian govt, global experts disagree on cause of recent cheetah deaths

India Today  

Indian authorities and international cheetah experts appear to be in disagreement over the cause of the recent deaths of two adult cheetahs at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Adrian Tordiff, associate professor at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and one of the world’s foremost cheetah experts, says the cheetahs Tejas and Suraj, which died on July …

Recent Cheetah deaths due to ‘natural causes’, says govt agency
1 year, 5 months ago

Recent Cheetah deaths due to ‘natural causes’, says govt agency

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Amid a series of fatalities among Cheetahs, and concerns that the radio collars on the neck may have led to an infection, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, has said that all the deaths have been caused due to natural causes. As per the preliminary analysis by National Tiger Conservation Authority, the apex body entrusted with the implementation of …

Govt refutes reports of cheetah deaths to radio collar use, terms it speculative
1 year, 5 months ago

Govt refutes reports of cheetah deaths to radio collar use, terms it speculative

Live Mint  

The environment ministry on Sunday said five out of the 20 adult cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa died due to natural causes and media reports attributing the deaths to factors like radio collars were based on "speculation and hearsay without scientific evidence". Further, steps like establishment of Cheetah Research Center with facilities for rescue, rehabilitation, capacity building, interpretation; …

6 deaths in 2 months, but the worst is yet to come: Why India will see more cheetah deaths
1 year, 6 months ago

6 deaths in 2 months, but the worst is yet to come: Why India will see more cheetah deaths

Firstpost  

India’s reintroduction of cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa has hit a roadblock. Vincent van der Merwe, who is closely involved with the project, told news agency PTI that the cheetah deaths have been within the acceptable range and more are expected to die, raising concerns about the reintroduction programme as well as whether Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh …

SC expresses concerns over Cheetah deaths at Kuno National Park, urges Centre to consider shifting them
1 year, 7 months ago

SC expresses concerns over Cheetah deaths at Kuno National Park, urges Centre to consider shifting them

India Today  

Expressing dismay over the death of three cheetahs within two months of their translocation from South Africa and Namibia to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Thursday urged the Central government to explore the possibility of relocating the cheetahs to Rajasthan. The Centre, represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, informed the court that a task …

Supreme Court expresses concern over cheetah deaths in Kuno
1 year, 7 months ago

Supreme Court expresses concern over cheetah deaths in Kuno

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court on Thursday voiced a deep concern about the deaths of three cheetahs translocated from South Africa and Namibia to the Kuno National Park of Madhya Pradesh. On March 27, a female cheetah named Sasha died due to kidney ailment, on April 23, Uday died due to cardio-pulmonary failure and on May 9, another South African female cheetah …

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 …

Third cheetah dies in Kuno Park as cats mark their turf
1 year, 7 months ago

Third cheetah dies in Kuno Park as cats mark their turf

The Hindu  

A third cheetah, a female called Daksha, at the Kuno National Park, in Madhya Pradesh, has died after it was injured by one of its number. The cheetah’s death comes a day after an expert committee, constituted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority -the national coordinators of Project Cheetah -recommended that five more cheetahs be released from the acclimatisation camps …

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 …

The problem of space for India’s translocated Cheetahs | In Focus podcast
1 year, 7 months ago

The problem of space for India’s translocated Cheetahs | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

Between September 2022 and February 2023, eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa were translocated to India as part of an initiative to reintroduce the species in India, where it had gone extinct in the 1950s. The animals were released in the 748 sq km Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, and seemed to be doing well until, …

S African cheetah died of heart attack, says autopsy report
1 year, 7 months ago

S African cheetah died of heart attack, says autopsy report

Hindustan Times  

A post-mortem examination of the six-year-old cheetah Uday indicated a heart attack was the cause of death, officials said on Monday, with experts suggesting that the condition may have itself been triggered due to a toxin that entered the big cat’s blood stream. The detailed PM report and blood test report is awaited to know the reason behind other health …

Kuno National Park unsuitable to host all 20 cheetahs, not enough prey, says scientist
1 year, 9 months ago

Kuno National Park unsuitable to host all 20 cheetahs, not enough prey, says scientist

The Hindu  

The Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, which currently hosts 20 cheetahs brought in from Africa, does not have enough prey to sustain all the animals. While the Rajasthan government had offered to host some animals in the relatively smaller, but well-equipped, Mukundra Tiger reserve, “political considerations” had prevented this from happening, Yadvendradev Jhala, the wildlife scientist who played 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 …

Second kill for 2 male cheetahs at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park
2 years, 1 month ago

Second kill for 2 male cheetahs at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park

India Today  

Two of the eight African cheetahs, who were flown in from Namibia and released into Indian wildlife in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, have made their second kill days after their first kill. On November 7, within 24 hours of being released into a larger enclosure, the two male cheetahs had killed a cheetal. The two cheetahs, who made their …

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 …

Cheetahs make a comeback in India after 70 years
2 years, 3 months ago

Cheetahs make a comeback in India after 70 years

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — Seven decades after cheetahs died out in India, they’re back. Then they were moved to their new home: a sprawling national park in the heart of India where scientists hope the world’s fastest land animal will roam again. India hopes importing African cheetahs will aid efforts to conserve the country’s threatened and largely neglected grasslands. Shrinking habitat, …

Cheetah reintroduction: No serious efforts made by previous governments, says PM Modi
2 years, 3 months ago

Cheetah reintroduction: No serious efforts made by previous governments, says PM Modi

Firstpost  

The Prime Minister said that the Project Cheetah, under which the felines were reintroduced, was his government’s endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation Sheopur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hit out at the previous governments, saying that no constructive efforts were made to reintroduce cheetahs in India after they became extinct from the country seven decades ago. He also …

Project Cheetah is govt\'s endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation: PM
2 years, 3 months ago

Project Cheetah is govt\'s endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation: PM

Deccan Chronicle  

Sheopur : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the 'Project Cheetah', under which the BJP government at the Centre reintroduced big cats in the country with the support of Nambia, is the government's endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation. PM Modi, in an address to the nation following the release of cheetahs into Kuno National Park Saturday, said, …

From extinction to reintroduction: A brief history of India’s tryst with the cheetah
2 years, 3 months ago

From extinction to reintroduction: A brief history of India’s tryst with the cheetah

Firstpost  

Eight cheetahs, five female and three male, arrived in India and were released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday as part of the Centre’s attempts to reintroduce the species that went extinct in 1952 In 1947, Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya, Surguja, in what is today known as Chhattisgarh, shot dead the last three recorded Asiatic cheetahs …

Explained: Will African cheetahs prosper in India?
2 years, 3 months ago

Explained: Will African cheetahs prosper in India?

Firstpost  

Some say the presence of leopards in Kuno National Park could pose a problem for the big cats, while others point to reports of camera traps being removed and remain wary of poaching. But authorities say these lines of thinking miss the big picture The reintroduction of eight African cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on 17 September, the …

Cheetahs arrive in India for historic reintroduction project – but can they survive a battle of the big cats?
2 years, 3 months ago

Cheetahs arrive in India for historic reintroduction project – but can they survive a battle of the big cats?

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery One of the five female …

Bringing the cheetah back is a bold idea
2 years, 3 months ago

Bringing the cheetah back is a bold idea

Hindustan Times  

In a bold experiment, eight African Cheetahs will be translocated to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park from Namibia on September 17. Second, it is the only mammal species to go extinct in Independent India, and their presence in Kuno could boost local tourism, with potential benefits for local communities. But the government and conservationists feel that African Cheetahs will adapt …

74 years after last cheetah died, India gets ready to receive eight from Namibia
2 years, 3 months ago

74 years after last cheetah died, India gets ready to receive eight from Namibia

Hindustan Times  

A team of Namibia’s Cheetah Conservation Foundation will travel with eight cheetahs from southern Africa to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on Saturday, culminating the 12-year coordination of the organisation dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild with the Indian authorities and scientists for the translocation project even as challenges remain. “After a brief ceremony to acknowledge Namibia’s donation …

Spot them again soon: Plans to introduce cheetahs from Africa Hasten, first one to be here by August
2 years, 6 months ago

Spot them again soon: Plans to introduce cheetahs from Africa Hasten, first one to be here by August

Firstpost  

The feline species was declared extinct from India in 1952 and efforts have been on to rehabilitate it since 2010 If all goes as planned, India’s forests will once again be home to the wild cheetah by August — the fastest animal on land that went extinct in the country way back in the 1950s. According to the latest update …

Extinct in India, cheetahs set to be reintroduced from South Africa by August
2 years, 6 months ago

Extinct in India, cheetahs set to be reintroduced from South Africa by August

The Hindu  

The first batch of cheetahs are expected to arrive in India’s Kuno Palpur wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh by this August, according to senior officials in the Union Environment Ministry, who declined to be identified. The Kuno sanctuary was intended to be a second home for India’s expanding lion population but, due to the Gujarat government’s abiding refusal, is unlikely …

Cheetahs to be re-introduced in India in November after being declared extinct in 1952
3 years, 7 months ago

Cheetahs to be re-introduced in India in November after being declared extinct in 1952

India Today  

Cheetah, the world's fastest land animal which was declared extinct in India in 1952, is expected to be re-introduced into the country in November this year at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, state Forest Minister Vijay Shah said on Sunday. HABITAT APPROVED An expert from South Africa visited the Kuno National Park on April 26 this year along …

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