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‘Misplaced concerns', ‘misconceptions': In paper countering Project Cheetah criticism, officials say animals are now well-adapted
Amid continuing criticism of various aspects of Project Cheetah, wildlife officials and field scientists from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) have authored a paper seeking to counter what they termed 'persistent criticism' and 'sensationalised media narratives' against the project, and defended its progress.
The officials and scientists said some of the criticism against the project was 'rooted in ideological biases'.
Published in Frontiers in Conservation Science journal, the paper said that cheetahs imported to India have adapted ecologically and that the project had demonstrated significant progress in 2.5 years.
It added that the project was on a promising trajectory, even as cheetah reintroduction was a 'gradual and risky process, with inevitable and adaptive learning'. NTCA's assistant veterinary officer Sanath Krishna Muliya is the paper's lead author, and Project Tiger head Gobind Sagar Bharadwaj is among the co-authors.
Project Cheetah was launched in September 2022 and introduced African cheetahs into India from Namibia and South Africa. Initially, 20 cheetahs were imported from the two countries.
The paper delved into issues such as the project's scientific merits, 'misplaced concerns about cheetahs in captivity', 'misinformed ethical and justice concerns', and 'misconceptions about veterinary capabilities and field interventions.'
It sought to rebut criticism that the cheetahs were held in enclosures for a long duration, as well as questions raised on what criteria were followed for the same.
The government officials said in the paper that the cheetahs were held in 'soft-release bomas' or large enclosures, where they hunted locally available prey, and no prey was provided. They added that the soft-release practice was internationally recognised for carnivore reintroductions.
The cheetahs, the paper said, are now well adapted to the landscape after the phased release process resumed in early 2025 after setbacks such as deaths during May-June 2023 due to what it called 'unforeseen challenges' of tick infestations due to unseasonal winter coats. As per the paper, six introduced cheetahs and 18 cubs are currently free-ranging in Kuno's wilderness and others await release. The government is also negotiating with the governments of Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, for more cheetah translocations, the paper said.
However, the paper did not touch upon the death of male cheetah Pawan, who died due to drowning in August 2024, as per the Madhya Pradesh forest department.
The paper also cited the birth of 25 cubs in 2.5 years as a sign of a stress-free environment. On criticism regarding the project's social impacts, the paper claimed that there was no unjustified displacement or coerced relocation of local communities, and much of the relocation had happened long before.
On the stress faced by the wild cats due to recurring immobilisation, the paper said that zero deaths were recorded due to immobilisation. Since the project began, there have been 90 immobilisations of over 20 cheetahs in a span of 2.5 years, for preventive care, medical treatment, and radio-collar deployment.
