Project Cheetah chief denies reports of big cats deaths due to radio collars

Amid the ongoing reports that radio collars installed in all the Cheetahs is a possible cause of their deaths at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Head of Project Cheetah SP Yadav said that “not a single cheetah died due radio collars”. Yadav, who is also a member secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), informed that animals are monitored all over the world by radio collars and this is a proven technology. 

“There is no truth that any cheetah died due to radio collars. I want to say that monitoring is not possible in the wild without radio collars,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

“A total of 20 Cheetahs were brought from Namibia and South Africa out of which 14 (adults) are completely healthy and are doing well. Four cheetahs were born on the soil of Bharat and one of them is now six months old and is doing fine. The three cubs died because of climatic factors," Yadav added. 

Radio collars have been installed in all the cheetahs and there is monitoring through satellite too. Apart from this, a dedicated monitoring team keeps monitoring the location.

Notably, nine Cheetahs have died in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park since March this year. Reintroducing the big cats after over 70 years of their extinction, Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year in September released the wild Cheetahs, brought from Namibia, in Kuno National Park under Project Cheetah. 

New batch of Cheetahs

The Head of Project Cheetah SP Yadav further informed that South Africa is ready to provide 12 to 14 Cheetahs every year. "Preparations are going on for the next batch of Cheetahs at two sites, one is Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, where the habitat is suitable, and the work of making enclosure is going on at a very fast pace. I hope that in November-December the work of fencing and enclosure will be complete and a decision will be taken to bring Cheetahs there after inspection.”

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to South Africa for the BRICS summit in August, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded the initiative to introduce cheetahs in India and said the country is prepared to donate more as India takes care of the big cats. 

Cheetahs reintroduced in India 

20 Cheetahs were relocated from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park in two batches in September 2022 and February 2023. Twelve cheetahs from South Africa arrived on February 18 in Kuno National Park after South Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the re-introduction of Cheetahs in India. Eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia in September last year and were released by PM Modi. 

(With inputs from ANI)