Bringing back cheetahs

Background:

• Recently, the Supreme Court had lifted its stay on a proposal to introduce African cheetahs into the Indian habitat. It has given the nod to the National Tiger Conservation Authority to re-introduce African cheetahs.

Details:

• The Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (Lacones):
• The laboratory was set up in 1998. The Laboratory since its inception has had the goal of breeding cheetahs. Scientists have been trying to get germplasm of the Iranian cheetahs, considered closest related to the extinct Indian cheetah to carry on with the research, but without success.
• One of the successful efforts of Lacones has been the reintroduction of mouse deer in the wild with its captive breeding program in collaboration with the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad.
• The Lacones is building up a national genetic wildlife bank, which has the germplasm of 23 species, including red panda, pygmy hog, Asiatic lion and gharials.
• The Lacones is one of the few frozen zoos in the world where a repository of germplasm is stored for possible future use.
• Extinction of species:
• Many species have undergone extinction even before the advent of human beings, though at far lower rates than at present.
• Background extinction rate, also known as the normal extinction rate, refers to the standard rate of extinction in the earth’s geological and biological history before humans became a primary contributor to extinctions.
• Worryingly, however current extinction rates are 100 to 1,000 times over the background extinction rates due to reasons like hunting, destruction of habitat and human intervention.
• Cheetahs became extinct mainly due to sport hunting and recreation hunting and habitat destruction.
• Cheetahs are mainly dependent on antelopes for their food. Antelopes are adapted mainly to dry conditions of the grasslands which are predominantly, extensive flat areas. The neglect of the grasslands and alteration of the grassland ecosystem by extensive plantation of tress has severely affected the fauna adapted to the unique habitat of grasslands.
• Cheetah reintroduction efforts:
• Scientists from the Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (Lacones), have stated that the re-introduction of Cheetahs into Indian habitat would be a challenge.

Way forward:

• India needs a protocol for the reintroduction of wild animals.
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature has a protocol. It also has reintroduction specialist groups and template guidelines for re-introduction, which needs to be adapted to India’s needs.
• There is a need to create provisions under the Wildlife Protection Act for a policy on the introduction of wild animals.
• Given the possible impact of the cheetah introduction on other native species, there is a need to safeguard the interests of other species as well.

Source: The Hindu