India to host delegation from Kenya, discuss cheetah sourcing

The Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh was chosen as the second site for reintroduction of cheetahs last year.

In December last year India expressed its desire to source cheetahs from Kenya during a visit of their President William Ruto.

INDIA IS likely to host a delegation of Kenyan officials later this month to explore the possibility of sourcing cheetahs from the east African country for the next phase of Project Cheetah, sources aware of developments said.

The Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh was chosen as the second site for reintroduction of cheetahs last year.

The authorities will host the Kenyan delegation to primarily discuss their willingness to translocate cheetahs to India, the terms of such a translocation, including the number of cheetahs they are willing to part with. As part of Project Cheetah, India plans to introduce eight to 14 cheetahs annually for five years, subject to availability.

In December last year India expressed its desire to source cheetahs from Kenya during a visit of their President William Ruto. The visit of the Kenyan delegation might include a trip to the Gandhi Sagar sanctuary to assess the on-ground preparations made by the Madhya Pradesh forest department.

Last week, a five-member team from South Africa too visited the Gandhi Sagar sanctuary and the Kuno national park in MP. Sourcing cheetahs from South Africa for introduction in Gandhi Sagar is also under consideration.

As of now, there are 27 cheetahs in Kuno – 13 adults and 14 cubs. Ten cheetahs have died so far owing to illnesses and infections.

Deaths caused by infections is one of the key reasons India is looking towards Kenya as a potential source of the big cats.

Nikhil Ghanekar

An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
cheetah