Reintroduction of cheetahs in India preceded by attempts by Zoos over the years to get the wild cats breed in captivity

reintroduction of eight cheetahs in wild in India last week after y were translocated from Namibia was preceded by attempts by several zoos in country over years to get se big cats brought from abro to breed in captivity, officials said on Monday.

According to a te issued by Nirav Makwana, assistant director of Sakkarbaug Zoo in Junagh district, several zoos in India have received African cheetahs from facilities abro but efforts to get m to breed in captivity were unsuccessful due to change in ir diet, environment, and or constraints in breeding.

On September 17, world's most ambitious translocation project to re-introduce cheetahs in India hit ground running after Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight of felines in Ku National Park in Mhya Presh. wild cats were airlifted from Namibia in sourn Africa.

A recent study by global wildlife regulator affiliated to United Nations quoted in media reports has found that cheetahs are "toriously difficult to breed in captivity".

study, which was based on long time research on cheetah breeding in captive facilities in Africa, was commissioned by Convention on International Tre in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora (CITES).

comprehensive study was conducted by cat specialist group of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with two or organisations.

"Cheetahs are toriously difficult to breed in captivity – for example, rth American cheetahs have excellent genetic variation as well as housing and veterinary care, yet only 23 out of 111 females have h offspring," study ted.

According to Gujarat state forest department officials, two pairs of cheetahs were brought from Singapore Zoo in 2009 in exchange for an Asiatic lion and two lionesses but y did t mate.

cheetahs were accommodated at Sakkrbaug Zoo, country's oldest such facility, in Junagh on March 24, 2009, y said.

pairs failed to mate till 2012 and a proposal for an assisted reproduction effort under an expert embryologist from Scotland could t be implemented due to of felines, te by Makwana said.

" two pairs of cheetahs were brought from Singapore Zoo under an exchange programme in March 2009. In fact, because of good manment practice and veterinary care (in Sakkarbaug Zoo), pairs lived till of 12 in captivity." Singapore Zoo h in 2006 put a proposal to get Asiatic lions from Sakkarbaug Zoo in exchange for African cheetahs, and this was approved by Central Zoo Authority of India in August that year, te said.

" two pairs arrived in country in March 2009, after a gap of 63 years, in exchange for a lion and two lionesses. two pairs died of natural causes after attaining of 12. last one died in 2017," Arhana Sahu, Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Junagh, said.

official anuncement of Asiatic cheetahs going extinct from India was me in 1952, te said, ding this species is w only seen in Iran. 

Im: PMO