Bhopal/New Delhi: India considered sourcing new cheetahs from Somalia, Tanzania, Sudan and other countries closer to the equator or in Northern Hemisphere to avoid biorhythm complications observed in big cats brought from Southern Hemisphere countries like South Africa and Namibia.
Due to differences in circadian rhythms between Northern and Southern Hemispheres, some cheetahs developed thick winter coats during Indian summer and monsoon last year, anticipating the African winter (June to September).
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Three of these cheetahs – a Namibian female and two South African males – died after wounds beneath their winter coats, on their backs and necks, became infested with maggots and led to blood infection. According to sources, cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa have once again developed thick winter coats. “Talks are ongoing with all countries, including South Africa and Namibia, but we have not formally approached anyone. Currently, our focus is on augmenting the prey base, managing the leopard population and readying the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary,” a source said .
Documents obtained by PTI through an RTI application revealed that during a steering committee meeting on August 10 and September 4 last year, chairman Rajesh Gopal said, “Time it takes for cheetahs from Southern Hemisphere countries to adjust their biorhythms to the local environment, climate, and conditions in Kuno National Park might be a significant factor in their deaths.” “For want of biorhythmic adjustment, some cheetahs have succumbed to ectoparasitic infections during their pelage change, which was synced with climate conditions of their earlier habitat. The third filial generation from surviving cheetahs would be more resistant and better adapted to Kuno conditions,” Gopal said.
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He emphasised that cheetahs from South Africa are adapted to the climatic conditions of the Southern Hemisphere, which has a different climate regime. Therefore, it is crucial that National Tiger Conservation Authority prioritise sourcing new cheetahs from Northern Hemisphere countries like Kenya and Somalia. In another meeting on October 27, the committee stressed that cheetahs should not be sourced from Southern Hemisphere countries, based on experiences related to circadian rhythm adjustments and dermal infestations.
At next meeting on December 13, Amit Mallick, the then Inspector General of Forests, NTCA, said, steps had been taken to “bring more cheetahs from other range countries Kenya, Tanzania and Sudan”. However, this issue did not figure at subsequent meetings, which focused on prey augmentation, managing leopard population in Kuno and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, grass revival, capacity building, strengthening SOPs and finalising the schedule for cheetah releases in Kuno. At a meeting on Friday, the steering committee decided to release African cheetahs and their cubs, born in India, into the wild in a phased manner after monsoon withdraws. (With Agency inputs)
