Expansion of the cheetah metapopulation into India

Vincent van der Merwe1,2 & Yadvendradev Jhala3

1
The Metapopulation Initiative, Cape Town, South Africa.
2
Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, South Africa
3
Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India
Global decline in wild cheetah populations

Extirpated 94% historical

40
distribution range
300

1950

4500
First reintroduction attempts
• First 10 cheetah reintroductions 1966 - 1996
• 279 wild cheetahs sourced Namibian farmland
• 9 reintroductions failed

• But important lessons learnt!

 Transition to Democracy - Private ownership of wildlife

• South Africa’s transition to democracy

had substantial implications for wild
Cheetah conservation.

• The Game Theft Act (No. 105 of 1991) -

change in land use (Taylor et al. 2020).

• Private ownership of wildlife under

conditions of adequate fencing (Bond
et al. 2004; Child 2009).

• Post-Apartheid tourism boom

Environmental benefits
Social benefits
Economic benefits
Wildlife economy
Establishment of SA metapopulation
• Cheetah reintroduced 65 private & state-owned
game reserves
• Finite growth rate λ 1.088 (SE 0.0033) per annum.
Expansion into Malawi
Expansion into Zambia
Expansion into Mozambique
2011 2023
No. Cheetahs 217 504
No. reserves 41 72
No. countries 1 4
 Request for cheetahs from India
• Controversial:

 Many consider African Cheetah exotic subspecies

 Village removals from protected areas in India

 ‘Vanity’ exercise

Asiatic West Africa Southern Africa Northeast African

Acinonyx jubatus venaticus Acinonyx jubatus hecki Acinonyx jubatus jubatus Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii
 Why India wants to reintroduce cheetahs

• Historically occurring species in India

• Occupied ecological niche now vacant

• Cursorial predator - natural selection

• Charismatic species - potential flagship role for restoration grasslands

• UN General Assembly ‘Decade of ecosystem restoration/rewilding’

• Indian protected areas - opportunity for range expansion

• Reintroductions - uplifting/sense of progress/step forward

Why from South Africa
Why from South Africa
Why from South Africa
Delivery 15th August 2022
 Approvals from SA government
• 9-month quarantine
• Loss fitness, condition & breeding potential
• Chronic stress (Munson et al. 2005)
17th February 2023
Eastern religions:
custodianship of
nature
Abrahamic religions:

Human dominion over nature

Cheetah reintroduction extremely complex! Many variable at play.

Mortality 1:
 Namibian captive female
 Chronic kidney failure
Cub mortalities 2, 3 & 4:
 Cubs born in boma to captive Namibian female
 Heat stroke
Mortality 5:
 South African adult male
 Suspected hypokalaemia & resulting acute heart failure
Mortality 5b:
 Prof Jhala
Mortality 6:
 South African adult female
Mortalities 7 & 8:
 Septicaemia
 ‘Winter coat’ problem
• Combination moisture on thicker coats & high parasite loads - localised skin infections (dermatitis)
• Followed by fly strike (myiasis) - integrity of skin compromised
• Infection spreads – blood poisoning from bacterial infection (Septicemia)
 The way forward
• Revised media strategy - prevent loss of political will
• Establish more reserves - all eggs in one basket
• Further supplementation
 Alternatives are euthanasia & contraception.
• Some reintroduction sites must be fenced - safety net
• Inevitable growing pains associated with wild cheetah reintroduction
• Tougher times ahead - more mortality/first births 2024
• First cheetah born India that will survive to independence - 2025
• Will politicians have the will to persevere?
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to
continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to
continue that counts." - Winston Churchill