Lingering questions before we move on from the cheetah story
Concerns around the number of cheetahs that Kuno can support and the relocation of people may haunt the project for years to come.
Why read this story?
Editor's note: It has been a little over a month since Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight African cheetahs into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Or rather, into an enclosure within the park where the cheetahs will acclimatize to local conditions (the government is keeping male and female animals in neighbouring enclosures so that they get to “know each other” before release). Eventually, these cats will roam free in the over 700 sq. km park and beyond. The hope is that the population will grow to 21 or more individuals. No matter your political (or ecological position) on the subject, this was a momentous event—the world’s first “inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation” project, as per the Prime Minister’s Office. After managing to revive the tiger population in India, this must have come as a big boost for the forest and wildlife departments and the environment ministry. But as I read the PMO statement, I wondered if being the first at doing something is necessarily a good thing in all cases. It is certainly nice to be the first to invent …
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