NEW DELHI: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday lauded the initiative to introduce cheetahs from Africa to India.
"We were pleased to donate cheetahs to India and prepared to donate even more as you are a country that takes care of big cats," President Ramaphosa told Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
South Africa had sent 12 cheetahs to India in February. This was in addition to eight that were brought in from Namibia in November 2022.
While nine cheetahs (including three cubs born in India) have died, there are 15 surviving cheetahs in Kuno (which includes a female cub). Most deaths occurred from bacterial infection, maggots, renal failure, injuries and heat.
According to an MoU signed between India and South Africa on January 26, South Africa would facilitate translocation of 100 cheetahs to India over the next decade.
"The plan is to translocate 12 cheetahs every year from South Africa, for the next decade. The terms of the MoU on cooperation in the reintroduction of cheetahs will be reviewed every five years," the MoU states.
ALSO READ | Making sense of rising cheetah mortality
The death of the cheetahs has ignited speculation on whether Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh was the wrong choice for the cheetahs.
"Kuno was initially considered to translocate lions from Gir, but this proposal was shelved and then came the cheetahs. The total area in Kuno and the moist weather are not conducive to the cheetahs whose natural habitat is dry," says a source.
There has been talk of relocating the surviving cheetahs to Mukundra Hills in Rajasthan. However, since the Mukundra Hills house tigers, there are concerns of potential clashes between the two.
Meanwhile, PM Modi spoke in Johannesburg about the Big Cat Alliance and suggested cooperation on the issue of big cats.
“Several species of big cats are found in the member nations of BRICS. Under the International Big Cat Alliance, BRICS nations can come together for their protection,” he said.
India launched the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) on April 9th in Mysuru for conservation of seven big cats which includes the tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma. The alliance aims to reach out to 97 countries covering natural habitats of these big cats.