Tanisha Rana
Published on: September 17, 2022 at 20:14 IST
The Supreme Court approved the transfer of cheetahs into India from Namibia more than two years ago, and on Saturday, eight cheetahs from Namibia arrived in Gwalior.
Additionally, the arrival falls on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday.
In order to reintroduce cheetahs to India, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) filed a petition with the Supreme Court in 2017.
The African cheetah was being brought, a species that had never truly existed in India; as a result, the translocation was being considered by the court rather than a reintroduction.
A submission that the cheetah will be transported on an experimental basis and would be nursed and studied to determine whether it can adjust to Indian circumstances was also recorded by a bench presided over by the then Chief Justice of India (CJI), SA Bobde.
Experts who will oversee the entire procedure will direct the NTCA.
Senior Attorney Prashanto Chandra Sen for the NTCA had argued before the Supreme Court that further studies had been done for bringing the cheetahs into India and various areas had been identified for it, and that the International Union For Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) guidelines had accepted re-introduction of species as a legitimate process.
According to the senior attorney, the goal was to build a keystone species that would help preserve and restore the natural biodiversity while bringing about long-term economic advantages.
The plan had been successful in India when tigers were returned to Panna and Sariska.
It was further stated that selecting cheetahs had conservation advantages because they are a grassland-based species, and grasslands have significantly declined in India.
As a result, by protecting the cheetah, other grassland-based endangered species are also protected, with the Great Indian Bustard being the most notable example.
As a result of such an attempt, the species’ genetic diversity is also increased.
Earlier, in 2009, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change (MOEF) proposed a plan to reintroduce cheetahs to Kuno. However, the Supreme Court invalidated this scheme in 2012.
Reintroducing the cheetah from Gir to Kuno was prioritised at the time.
The apex court also believed that more investigation and study were necessary for the exercise.