70 years after going extinct in India, the process of reintroducing African cheetahs has started in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. There have been questions concerning big cats’ ability to adapt to and survive in the environment of India. As a result, Kuno, which was transformed from a wildlife sanctuary to a national park in 2018, may experience certain adjustments.
Through, by using “cheetah mitras,” or “cheetah friends,” the government is attempting to ease the cheetahs’ transition to their new environment. Around 400 mitras from 51 villages have been trained to make the locals understand more about the cheetah and its characteristics.
Who are cheetah mitras?
The government has mainly used cheetah mitras to reduce potential confrontations by introducing the local inhabitants to big cats. The surrounding communities may not be aware of the potential alterations brought on by the introduction of the new species because the cheetahs have only recently arrived in Kuno.
Forest officials have trained nearly 400 cheetah mitras from 51 villages, including teachers, village headmen, and patwaris, to better inform the local populace about the cheetah and its features.
The animals wandering into populated areas from the parks could be one example of this trend. Residents have been instructed on how to distinguish between a cheetah and a leopard because the former is less prone to attack people and the latter should be reported to forest officials. Villagers have been instructed to tune in to the local radio for updates on the movement of the animal while transporting cattle near the forests for grazing.
Role of Cheeta Mitras
The day the cheetahs in Kuno were released, Prime Minister Narendra Modi uploaded a video of his interactions with cheetah mitras. When he asked a group of people what their task will be, one of the team members responded, “the protection of cheetahs.”
They note that there is a greater hazard to cheetahs from humans than the other way around and that they will take precautions to ensure that the animal does not leave the park and enter the communities, as well as notify officials if necessary. According to Modi, a similar scheme was launched in Gujarat to support conservation efforts for Asiatic lions in 2007.
Interestingly, one of the cheetah mitras is a former drug dealer. The Chambal River dacoit Ramesh Sikarwar is claimed to be familiar with the forest because it was his hideout for him during the 1970s and 1980s.
He noted that in addition to informing the communities, it will be crucial to protect the big cats from poachers. The Asiatic cheetah became extinct in India in 1952 due to hunting, thus two drone squads have been prepared, five CCTV watch towers have been installed, and at least 24 retired military soldiers have been employed to protect the cheetahs.
When will the general public be able to see the cheetahs?
“After the month-long quarantine period, the cheetahs will have to hunt for their survival in the larger enclosure where they will stay for another month,” a forest official in Madhya Pradesh stated. Cheetahs will gradually become accustomed to their new surroundings before being released into the national park.
The PM stated in his Mann ki Baat radio program on September 25 that it will take some time for the cheetahs to adjust. After a task force has evaluated the situation, it will decide when the park may be completely opened to the public for seeing cheetahs and other animals.