NEW DELHI: In an unexpected turn of events, the shifting of the eight cheetahs, which were brought from Namibia and released in small quarantine bomas on September 17, to larger enclosures at the Kuno National Park (KNP) will be delayed “slightly”, a senior member of the recently reconstituted Cheetah Task Force (CTF) told this newspaper on Friday.
Madhya Pradesh Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden J S Chauhan, who is on the CTF, said that there “will be a slight delay in shifting the cheetahs to the larger enclosures”. According to the original schedule, the felines were to be moved to nine separate areas within a “predator proof” 6-sq-km fenced zone within KNP on October 17. The finale date of release will depend on the recommendation of the CTF.
While Chauhan was only prepared to say that the delay will be on account of the rigorous health tests and checks that “each individual cheetah” will be subjected to before they are moved to the larger enclosure, other CTF sources said that the big cats will not be let into the larger enclosures at least before Diwali.
The source said that holding back the cheetahs in their quarantine bomas before their “soft release” was based on the advice of experts from the Namibian Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) who had accompanied the animals on their transcontinental flight to India. CCF experts are also monitoring “every aspect” of the cheetahs.
While sources said that the delay was also because of the CTF’s reconstitution last month as a new nominee from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dr Vishnupriya Kolipakam, took the place of Yadvendradev Jhala, the Dean and senior scientist. Peeved for not being included on the CTF, Jhala proceeded on leave and is now in the US. WII sources said that he was expected to return on October 22 but will rejoin work after Diwali. Unlike Jhala, Kolipakam is not a cheetah expert.