Banni Grasslands of Kutch does not figure in the list of the three sites recommended by the Wildlife Institute of India and Wildlife Trust of India to introduce cheetah in India.
Gujarat’s dream of getting the royal cheetah back on its soil may have to be put on the backburner, for now at least. Banni Grasslands of Kutch does not figure in the list of the three sites recommended by the Wildlife Institute of India and Wildlife Trust of India to introduce cheetah in India.
In the feasibility report ‘Assessing the Potential for Reintroducing the Cheetah in India’ that WII submitted on Wednesday, the reason pointed out is that the current prey base in Banni is extremely low and it needs a lot of development by the Gujarat government before cheetah can be introduced. “However, the Banni Grasslands and Kachchh Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over 5,800 sq km, has tremendous potential and with restoration efforts, the area can potentially support 50 cheetahs in future,” senior scientist Yadvendra Jhala, who prepared the report, told DNA.
“If the Gujarat government takes serious steps to restore this landscape the site could be re-evaluated at a later date,” he added.
The three sites recommended by WII and WTI where cheetah could potentially be reintroduced are Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary , both in Madhya Pradesh and Shahgarh Landscape in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. All the three sites require preparation and resource investments to
commence an introduction programme.
It was decided in September 2009, that cheetah will be reintroduced in India. They will be obtained from West Asia where North African cheetahs are bred, Iran, Namibia and South Africa. Initially, 18 cheetahs will be brought to three proposed sites.
Cheetah reintroduction would greatly enhance tourism prospects, especially at the sites, the cascading effect of which would benefit the local communities. Cheetah as a flagship would evoke a greater focus on the predicament of the much-abused dry-land ecosystems and the need to manage them.
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