Wildlife experts perturbed after cheetah ‘strays’ close to college in Sheopur Madhya Pradesh
Video footage allegedly showing a cheetah roaming near a polytechnic college on the outskirts of Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh, surfaced on Sunday, reigniting questions about the feasibility of India’s cheetah reintroduction project.
The clips, widely shared on social media and featured on TV channels, appear to depict a cheetah released from Kuno National Park moving near a village and the polytechnic college, approximately 60km from Kuno’s core area.
India imported eight cheetahs from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023 to establish a free-ranging cheetah population in the wild. However, the initiative has faced significant challenges, including unexpected deaths among the cheetahs and cubs born in Kuno. Currently, most of the 12 adults and 12 cubs remain confined to large enclosures with minimal time spent in the open wilderness.
Critics, including wildlife biologists, have raised concerns since the project’s inception. Studies on cheetah behavior in Africa highlight their need for vast territories, far exceeding the available land in Kuno. Experts had predicted that once released, the cheetahs would likely venture into human-populated areas.
The footage of the cheetah near Sheopur is believed to show one of two cheetahs released into the wild by Madhya Pradesh forest officials on December 4.
“This is expected behavior,” said Ravi Chellam, a big cat specialist and coordinator with the Biodiversity Collaborative. Chellam, who has questioned the project since 2022, remarked, “Cheetahs are wide-ranging animals that undertake exploratory movements spanning hundreds of kilometers.”
Efforts to seek comments from the Union Environment Ministry on the sighting went unanswered. However, an official, speaking anonymously, downplayed the event, stating, “Cheetahs will explore their surroundings but are likely to return.”
In October 2022, wildlife researchers from India, Iran, Kenya, South Africa, and the Netherlands described the project as an “ill-advised conservation effort,” arguing that India lacks the necessary space to support cheetahs.
Government scientists backing the initiative have countered such claims, asserting that Kuno offers ample prey, including chital, chinkara, wild boar, nilgai, and monkeys, making it suitable for cheetah habitation.
However, critics like Chellam view the prolonged confinement of the cheetahs within enclosures as indicative of the difficulties the project faces.
