Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: When our right to enrich is denied, this is an imposition of hegemony, and our policy rejects Western hegemony.
President al-Mashat: Our armed forces, represented by our air defenses, will soon turn the Zionist enemy’s aircraft into a subject of ridicule.
President al-Mashat: Good news about the Zionist enemy’s aircraft used in aggression against our country will reach you soon, God willing.
President al-Mashat: Our armed forces will be able to deal with hostile Zionist aircraft without causing any harm to air or maritime navigation.
President al-Mashat: To ensure the safety of airliners, they must avoid navigating along the routes used by the Zionist entity to carry out aggression against our country.
Yemeni President Mahdi al-Mashat: For the safety of air and maritime navigation in areas where our armed forces operate, we have directed that the routes used by the Zionist enemy to attack our country be designated as dangerous.
Hamas official says despite this, Hamas leadership is currently undertaking a thorough review of the new proposal
Hamas official says the response fails to meet any of the just and legitimate demands of our people
Hamas official says it is clear that the Israeli response fundamentally seeks to entrench the occupation
Reuters citing Hamas official: Group received Israeli response to Witkoff proposal

Plan to return cheetahs to India under fire after six die within month

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 11 Jun 2023 15:27
3 Min Read

India is now under fire for its plans to reintroduce cheetahs, considered a fragile animal, into the country.

  • x
  •  A cheetah lies inside a transport cage at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) before being relocated to India, in Otjiwarongo, Namibia, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
    A cheetah lies inside a transport cage at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) before being relocated to India, in Otjiwarongo, Namibia, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (AP)

The contentious reintroduction of cheetahs into the wild has suffered a serious setback when three adults and three cubs died in the last eight months.

The fatalities have prompted criticism of Project Cheetah, a £4.8 million international project that sent 20 animals from Africa to India's Kuno National Park early this year. Some conservationists claim that not enough space was set aside for cheetahs, while others claim that the project was built up too quickly.

However, project scientists argued that many fatalities were to be expected at the outset of the research and predicted that the death toll would soon settle. “If you are going to reintroduce an animal to the wild, you have to do it very carefully,” said Professor Sarah Durant, of the Zoological Society of London, adding “And it is clear that things are not going well. The program seems rushed.”

A fragile animal 

Cheetahs are the world's fastest land mammals, capable of reaching speeds of up to 100 km per hour. There are five subspecies, and all have seen significant population declines due to climate change, human hunting, and habitat destruction.

Related News

8 Namibian cheetah relocated to the Indian wild to avoid extinction

Efforts to Cease Cheetah Cubs Trafficking

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, surviving populations of East African, South African, and Northeast African cheetahs are currently fragile. The other two are highly endangered: the Northwest African cheetah and the Asiatic cheetah.

The Asiatic subspecies of cheetahs became extinct in India in past century, with the last reported local animals being shot by Maharajah Ramanuj Singh Deo in 1947. This cheetah is now only found in Iran.

In comparison, there are approximately 6,500 African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), and there have been successes in recovering numbers in South African semi-managed wildlife reserves.

After eradicating its cheetahs, India began efforts to re-establish a population by utilizing Southern African cheetahs. However, the Indian Supreme Court first stopped these actions, arguing that because it was not a native species, its introduction violated international conservation standards.

Eight cheetahs from Namibia 

The court's decision was overturned in 2020, and Project Cheetah was launched with great fanfare, including assistance from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first animals arrived in Kuno last September: eight cheetahs transferred from Namibia, followed by 12 more from South Africa in February.

However, three of the Kuno cheetahs and three newborn cubs died by late May of this year. Two adults died of organ failure, and a third died during a violent mating session. The cause of the cubs' deaths is unknown at this time. While cubs in the wild have a low survival rate due to lion and hyena predation, those born in protected reserves have a good survival rate.

According to Adrian Tordiffe, a veterinarian at South Africa's University of Pretoria and a consultant for the project, the deaths of the three adults were not surprising given the high stress of transfer. "The fact that we had multiple deaths in a short period is not unusual in that it is a high-risk period." 

  • Cheetahs
  • India
  • namibia
  • Asiatic cheetah

Most Read

US judges quietly consider private security amid Trump tensions

US judges quietly consider private security amid Trump pressures

  • US & Canada
  • 25 May 2025
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington (AP)

Rift widens: Trump, Netanyahu clash in heated phone call over Iran

  • Politics
  • 26 May 2025
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP)

Hamas rejects Witkoff ceasefire plan, says alters terms

  • Politics
  • 29 May 2025
Iran advisor reveals details of US-Iran nuclear talks to Al Mayadeen

Iran advisor reveals details of US-Iran nuclear talks: Al Mayadeen

  • MENA
  • 24 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Doctors weigh a Palestinian baby at the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) clinic in Muwasi, near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 8, 2025 (AP)
Health

US-Israeli Gaza aid plan is catastrophic, inhumane: MSF

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Latakia governorate on May 30, 2025 (Social media)
Politics

Israeli airstrikes hit military targets across western Syria

An Iranian security official in protective clothing walks through part of the Uranium Conversion Facility just outside the Iranian city of Isfahan, March 30, 2005. (AP)
Politics

US, E3 to push IAEA to declare Iran in breach of nuclear commitments

A Syrian soldier closes the gate of a military base on the outskirts of Harasta, near Damascus, Syria, Saturday, May 3, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Syrians expel Israeli patrol in Quneitra amid rising tensions

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS