Guwahati: A nine-person task force has been established by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change to oversee the introduction of cheetahs in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh and other other specified place, according to the officials on Friday.
The committee members will concentrate on assessing the development and keeping an eye on the health of these cheetahs.
“Upkeep of the soft release enclosures and protection status of the entire area. Adherence to the forest and veterinary officials’ protocols, advice on Cheetah introduction in India to Madhya Pradesh forest department and NTCA on status of Cheetah with respect to overall health, behaviour and upkeep,” read an official statement.
The Principal Secretary (Forests), Member from Madhya Pradesh, Principal Secretary (Tourism), Member from Madhya Pradesh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, Member from Madhya Pradesh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), and Chief Wildlife Warden will all be members of the committee.
Alok Kumar, Dr. Amit Mallick, retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden of Madhya Pradesh, and member of the NTCA, New Delhi. The committee also includes Dr. Vishnu Priya, a scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, Abhilash Khandekar, a member of the MP SBWL in Bhopal, and Subhoranjan Sen, the convener of the APCCF-Wildlife.
The committee’s representatives will also keep an eye on the Cheetahs’ hunting abilities and adaptability.
“Monitor release of Cheetah, the opening of the Cheetah habitat for eco-tourism. Suggest and advice on the development of tourism infrastructure in fringe areas, regularly interact with Cheetah Mitras….,” added the statement.
On September 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the decision regarding when visitors would be able to witness cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park will be made in accordance with the task force’s recommendations.
“Friends, a task force have been formed. This task force will monitor the cheetahs and see how much they have been able to adapt to the environment here. On this basis, a decision will be taken after a few months and then you will be able to see the cheetahs,” said PM Modi in the 93rd episode of his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
He exclaimed that happy responses to the restoration of cheetahs to India came from all parts of the nation.
“130 crore Indians are happy, full of pride; this is India’s love for nature,” PM stated.
Modi went on to say that people frequently inquired about when they will have the chance to view Namibia’s wild creatures.
PM Modi asked for suggestions from the public for the names of the campaign and the cheetahs.
He further said, “But till then I am assigning some work to all of you. For this, a competition will be organized on the MyGov platform, in which I urge people to share certain things. What should be the name of the campaign we are running on cheetahs? Can we even think of naming all these cheetahs…. by what name should each of them be called? By the way, if this naming is of traditional nature, then it will be very nice since, anything related to our society and culture, tradition and heritage, draws us easily.”
PM Modi added that litter on beaches is upsetting and that climate change is a serious danger to marine ecosystems.
“It becomes our responsibility to make serious and continuous efforts to tackle these challenges,” he said. In an effort to revive and diversify the nation’s fauna and habitat, eight cheetahs—five females and three males—were imported from Namibia on September 17 under the name “Project Cheetah.” Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952.