Cheetah Reintroduction

In news: On September 16, a modified passenger B-747 Jumbo Jet will take off from Namibia for Jaipur to transport eight Namibian wild cheetahs, five females and three males, the founders of a new population in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.

Moving wild animals to new locations for conservation began only in the 1960s.

Unlike royal imports to be held in captivity, these animals require to settle down and survive in their new locations in the wild. That poses a host of different challenges.

About IUCN guidelines:

• Genetic diversity: Absence of the same can lead to inbreeding depression in the new population.
• Habitat and prey base: Physical security, enough space, and ample food so that colonies of reintroduced animals become large enough as quickly as possible to withstand fluctuations in both the environment and population size.
• Landscape viability: animals will remain susceptible to demographic and environmental events in a landscape
• Curbing the cats’ homing instincts: risks from losing the released animal from the target site and human-animal conflict

About Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh:

• Established in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary in the Sheopur and Morena districts.
• In 2018, it was given the status of a national park. It is part of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
• Area of 344.686 km2
• Fauna: Indian leopard, jungle cat, sloth bear, dhole, Indian wolf, golden jackal, striped hyena, and Bengal fox, chital, Sambar deer, nilgai, four-horned antelope, chinkara, blackbuck and wild boar

Source: Indian Express

Previous Year Questions

Q.1) Consider the following: (2012)

1. Black-necked crane
2. Cheetah
3. Flying squirrel
4. Snow leopard

Which of the above are naturally found in India?

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 1, 3 and 4 only
3. 2 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4