Bhopal: Hunting skills of 12 cheetahs may have got affected, says Experts

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): As many as 12 cheetahs are waiting for their translocation from South Africa to Kuno National Park in Sheopur district. It is learnt that they have been kept in quarantine since July. The wildlife experts are claiming that if any wild animal is kept in an enclosure for long time, then it affects its hunting skills adversely.

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey told Free Press that 12 cheetahs kept in enclosure in SA for a long time. He said if any wild animal is kept in enclosure for a long period, then its hunting skills diminish, which may prove fatal.

A retired forest officer, on condition of anonymity, expressed similar concern.

Another wildlife expert pleading anonymity said that the longer duration spent by carnivore animal in enclosure kills its hunting skill. It’s being said that twelve cheetahs kept in South Africa have not hunted even once.

Translocation

The translocation of twelve cheetahs from South Africa to India is pending for want of approval to Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Its being said that South African Minister of Environment Barbara Creecy had given green signal to Indian proposal for translocation of cheetahs. Now, South Africa President will give approval to the proposal, which will pave way for formal agreement to be signed between the two countries.

Survival at stake

A forest employee at Kuno National Park said that he was apprehensive about the survival of cheetahs in wild as Kuno National Park has 100 leopards and they are large in size and they can even outshine the killing instincts of tigers. Hence, cheetah, on being released into the wild, will face challenge of survival. He even feared that leopards in wild can even attack cheetahs.