Extinction is an elemental truth that governs all life forms on this planet, however, the Anthropocene has fueled the disappearance of life from Earth at unprecedented rates. Since the Industrial Revolution, species extinction rates have spiked to abnormal proportions — we have lost species in a few years which, under normal circumstances, would have taken 2,000-6,000 years. We have lost over 60 per cent of life forms since recorded history with habitat and climate alteration, exploitation for resources and trophies, and persecution against conflict at the heart of the chronic reasons.
Carnivores as a group are particularly vulnerable to extinction events in the Anthropocene because members of this highly charismatic taxa are at direct odds with human interests — they need large chunks of habitats to live and breed, they eat the same food as we do, they are fond of our livestock and pets (even us) as food, and they are often worth more dead than alive. We have strategically hunted, persecuted and removed entire populations of carnivores from different parts of the world — the Red and Ethiopian wolves now persist only in ~2 per cent of their historic range, African wild dogs in 10 per cent of their ancestral homelands, while lions, tigers and cheetahs have been removed from nearly 80 per cent of their historic habitats, with local extinctions of many representative populations.
While this paints a very grim picture, carnivores have and continue to profoundly capture our curiosity and sentiments. From cave paintings in Chauvet (France) and Bhimbetka (India) to relics and heirlooms, art and analogies, literature and politics, carnivores seem to make the rounds within the inner circles of our minds, making them one of the most studied groups. From “formal” studies, anecdotal information and indigenous knowledge, we have understood that carnivores are fundamentally important for the balanced functioning of the ecosystems they belong to, thereby not only safeguarding ecological integrity but also promoting human well-being by rendering vital ecosystem services. For example, a single wolf having an effective beaver-hunting personality can determine when and where beavers make dams in a region, thereby changing the entire bio-geo-chemical map of the landscape through predation-mediated trophic cascades. Such information has led to actions to bring back carnivores into their erstwhile homes. The reintroduction of grey wolves to Yellowstone, Isle Royale, and Idaho, or sea-otters in the Northern Pacific near Alaska, or lynx in Germany have possibly nudged these ecosystems onto a path of revival through direct and indirect trophic interactions. The re-wilding of these landscapes with their predators has provided countless tourists with the joy of seeing such charismatic species roam in their natural habitats — thereby generating goodwill, and revenue for conservation and associated communities. However, similar efforts to bring back African wild dogs in parts of Africa were not followed by direct ecosystem benefits, while reintroducing brown bears in the Pyrenees mountains of Europe increased human-bear conflict.
India has been fortunate to have retained an almost intact carnivore guild, a feat unthinkable and extremely surprising for a country with over 1.3 billion people and one of the fastest growing economies. The sociopolitical and religious sentiments coupled with the legal commitments of India towards life are the major drivers of this resilience. However, India has lost one of its most charismatic carnivores — the Asiatic cheetah, considered to have gone locally extinct in 1952 owing to hunting, habitat loss and massive capture and use in shikar entourages. The Asiatic cheetahs in India were one of the apex predators of grasslands and open natural ecosystems (ONEs), having coevolved with the blackbuck and chinkara. Currently, only ~30 wild Asiatic cheetahs remain in a small pocket of Iran, with an ever-contentious future.
The present “conservation introduction” project to bring back the cheetah in India proposes to re-instil the evolutionary potential of ONEs, enhance the “charismatic” value of grasslands and savannahs which have traditionally been neglected and dubbed as “wastelands” in Indian forest management, and to safeguard relatively lesser-known species-habitat systems such as in Kuno, Gandhisagar, Jawahar Sagar, Nauradehi, Madhav, Sitamata across Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Whether to piggyback upon the “charismatic” species idea to promote conservation is debatable, but there is no denying that public sentiment for certain species strongly bolsters ecosystem revivals. India is a strong example in this regard; intense protection and management of habitats have been undertaken with tigers and lions at the forefront. Tiger and lion habitats have received generous political, economic and scientific heavy lifting that has not only led to their glorious comebacks but has created safe havens for a multitude of species that are relatively less known. Furthermore, when in need, India has perfected the science of reintroducing charismatic carnivores such as the tiger in areas where they went locally extinct. Were the reintroductions of tigers in Sariska or Panna needed to safeguard the species in India? Probably not. However, the habitats needed a champion to wield political will for conservation, and tigers delivered. Having studied carnivores in open areas for over a decade, I personally know the conservation impetus that a charismatic species can instigate — an entire ecosystem and adjoining areas benefiting from safeguarding the Asiatic lions in Gir, for instance. Ideologically and scientifically, the charismatic species approach may have multiple pitfalls; however, it often provides a pragmatic solution to the challenges of converting political will towards conservation.
Kuno, the proposed area for the cheetahs’ introduction, was initially readied for the reintroduction of Asiatic lions — a much-needed conservation action to mitigate risks that may befall the only population of lions in Gir. However, that move has met a lingering socio-political deadlock. Moving cheetahs into Kuno can renew the vigour of protecting that landscape which comprises ~750 sq km of protected forests, contiguous with nearly 3,000 sq km of open habitats having leopards, chinkara, chital, blackbuck and chousingha. While many believe that moving cheetahs to Kuno might prevent the eventual reintroduction of lions in the landscape altogether, if I were to be optimistic and put our bets on having both species brought into the same landscape, then it is prudent to first bring the cheetah — the weaker of the two competing carnivores — so that they are settled and aware of escape terrains by the time the lions arrive.
The contiguous landscape of Kuno holds the promise of space and habitat that can sustain both species, but it will depend on the national conservation agenda to realise what it will be. Bringing a carnivore back into a system where the landscape is shared with humans can be a dangerous mission, but conservation history has shown us that it is doable with the perfect mix of science and outreach. Take the case of Yellowstone, where multiple meetings and outreach events with ranchers in Wyoming reduced apprehensions among the people about having wolves in the mix again. This was followed up with intensive monitoring of the reintroduced wolves, preparing park managers for any outcome. India has been quite successful in resolving human-wildlife conflicts with dedicated efforts to mitigate losses to human- life and property, and reducing the chances of negative emotions wreaking havoc on both ends. Having had a history of compassionate and active conservation, India can lead by example to accomplish this outstanding feat of housing yet another carnivore in its habitats, the one it has lost! Indian conservation commitments towards the tiger, lion, elephant, and snow leopard should restore faith in the minds of a currently divided conservation and scientific fraternity who are debating whether bringing cheetahs from Africa is needed or is just a “vanity project”. While only time will tell whether the conservation introduction of the cheetah can outrun its critics, I cannot but be optimistic about the beginning of a trail of bold and intensive conservation decisions in India, perhaps starting with the cheetah project.
The writer is faculty of animal behaviour, Departments of Biology & Environmental Studies, Macalester College, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
