Namibia to help revive India’s extinct cheetah population

NAMIBIA is one of three countries that has been approached by the Indian government to help revive India’s extinct cheetah population over the next few years.

Cheetahs in India became extinct about 60 years ago, mainly due to hunting in the earlier part of last century.Namibia has the largest cheetah population in the world – 3 000. The rest of the 7 000 surviving cheetahs in the world are located in 24 other countries.The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists the cheetah as vulnerable or endangered throughout most of its range. The cheetah is a protected species in Namibia, and is critically endangered in West and North Africa.South Africa and Tanzania were the other two countries approached by India to help with the repopulation.Recent reports from New Delhi indicated that environmental authorities there first wanted to source the animals from Iran, but this led to a dead end as Iran itself only has 60 cheetahs left. ‘Even though I am in touch with Iranian authorities, our experts say that we will require at least 12 to 18 cheetah to begin with. So we are looking at South Africa, Namibia and Tanzania as three source populations for the cheetahs,’ Indian Environmental Minister Jairam Ramesh was quoted as saying.Relocation sites have been identified to initiate the repopulation programme and Indian and Namibian authorities and cheetah experts are already negotiating.’It is a matter of deep regret that cheetah have become extinct in India because the word ‘cheetah’ comes from Sanskrit. It comes from the Sanskrit word ‘chitrakam’, which means spots,’ Ramesh said.Namibia’s world-renowned cheetah specialist, Dr Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, who is a core member of the IUCN’s Cat Specialist Group, confirmed to The Namibian that the technical investigations and research regarding the reintroduction of cheetahs have started.’IUCN scientists, cat and veterinary specialist groups met in India in September 2009 to begin discussions and lay out plans for reintroduction to India. This includes habitat and prey assessment and population studies around selected grassland savannah sites. It’s not something that happens overnight, so it will take a few years,’ Marker said.She said Namibia is known for its cheetahs and its relevant expertise, and that is why the country has been identified as an important source. She added that Namibia’s cheetahs are also very healthy genetically, and would easily adapt to relocation.She herself will be directly involved in the assisting with the relocation and observation of the animals once in India, wherever they are sourced from.Asked whether Namibian cheetahs would survive in the climate and landscape of India, Marker said: ‘India is a huge country and has a vast geography; some very similar to the savannahs like Damaraland.’According to her, the request from India, and the opportunity to help re-establish the ecosystem with its top predators around the world, are ‘very exciting’ and worth supporting.

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