Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting on Wednesday morning to review the status of “Project Cheetah” in wake of the deaths of several of the translocated big cats.
The meeting comes following the recent death of two male cheetahs – Tejas and Suraj – and the apprehensions were raised on the matter.
Apart from Madhya Pradesh’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife, Aseem Shrivastava, members of the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India (NTCA), and members of the Cheetah Screening Committee, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is also likely to attend the virtual meeting, which is scheduled around 11 am on Wednesday, sources told IANS.
“Project Cheetah” is an ambitious project of the Centre and the Prime Minister had released eight cheetahs translocated from Namibia in its first phase on his birthday on September 17 last year. In the second phase, 12 more cheetahs were brought from South Africa on February 18 this year.
However, since then a total eight cheetahs, including three out of four cubs borne to Namibian female cheetah Siyaya, have died at Kuno. The death of two adult African cheetahs – Tejas and Suraj – have raised questions on execution of protocols on ground.
Wildlife experts have been alleging lack in monitoring and prompt response on ground. The death of Tejas and Suraj were reportedly suffered maggot-infection due to radio collar (GPS fitted belt on neck). Since then, it was suspected that radio collar (GPS system fitted on cheetahs’ neck) caused injuries.
Experts, including senior forest officials, talking to IANS have also claimed that the problem of radio collar has became a challenge but is not a new problem as similar problems had occurred with tigers in the past. However, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change maintained that five adult cheetahs at Kuno National Park (KNP) died of natural causes.