New Delhi/Bhopal: The Central government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Thursday that none of the members of the court-appointed committee has any expertise or experience in cheetah management. The Centre further told the apex court that cheetahs were extinct in India during 1947-`48 leading to none of the forest officials, veterinarians and members of the task force having any exposure to cheetah conservation.
The Centre's affidavit was filed before the bench of justices BR Gavai and Sanjay Karol by Santosh Singh, Assistant Inspector General of Forests (AIGF) in National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on behalf of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). Earlier on March 28, after the death of a translocated cheetah at Kuno National Park, the court asked for details of the qualifications and experience of experts included in the Cheetah Task Force.
The Centre told the top court that under Project Cheetah, some forest officials and veterinarians were given exposure through exchange programmes, training programs and study tours with African countries. Cheetah introduction in India from Namibia was done in September 2022. After this, the ministry constituted a task force for cheetah management in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
In its affidavit, the Centre told the SC that the members of the task force include administrative officers, forest officers and scientists. Under Project Cheetah, forest officials, veterinarians and scientists were sent for training to South Africa, Namibia and Tanzania for gaining first-hand experience. Moreover, the cheetah introduction was begun in India under the expert guidance of international experts and veterinarians in consultation with the SC-appointed committee.
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Meanwhile, steps are afoot to shift cheetahs translocated from South Africa to Kuno National Park to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary located in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh soon. The Cheetah Task Force headed by Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bais has approved the shifting of Cheetahs already. On the other hand, the officers said in a meeting that fencing will be done in Gandhi Sagar and Nauradehi and tenders have been issued for this.
Following the death of three cheetahs within two months at Kuno Park, the Supreme Court on Thursday expressed concern and suggested shifting South African and Namibian cheetahs from Madhya Pradesh to Rajasthan. The apex court quoted experts as having said that keeping an excessive number of cheetahs in one place would pose a threat of infections to all of them.
It is not right to keep all cheetahs in one place, officials said. In the meeting, the Forest Department officials said that it would not be appropriate to keep all the cheetahs in the same sanctuary. There may be a problem with this in the future. Any kind of infection in the future can lead to a threat to all the cheetahs. A good number of cheetahs are present in Kuno already.
This is why the department wants to shift them to Gandhi Sagar. More cheetahs are to be brought from South Africa in the future. So keeping cheetahs in one place can be harmful. PCCF (Principal Chief Conservator of Forests) J S Chauhan has recently prepared a note and sent it to the government. In this, anticipating the threat to the existence of cheetahs due to infection, the need to shift the cheetahs was emphasised.
Fencing being done in Gandhi Sagar
On the other hand, officials said that before the shifting of cheetahs to Gandhi Sagar and Nauradehi, fencing is being done here. For this, fencing will be done around it. A budget of Rs 15 crores has been made available for this. It was said in the meeting that cheetah action plans have been prepared by experts, which are very important to follow. In the past, the cheetahs were brought from South Africa and Namibia to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
