PROJECT CHEETAHS (Syllabus GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Madhya Pradesh government has rejected an RTI application seeking correspondence related Project Cheetah citing concerns over ‘national Security, sovereignty and Integrity of India.

Project Cheetah

• About: To reintroduce the cheetah in its forests, seven decades after the last member of the species went extinct in the country.

oUnder Project Cheetah, the animals are translocated from the forests of South Africa and Namibia to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

Cheetah

• About: cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal.
• Family: The cheetah is a prominent cat family member.
• Subfamily: Feline
• Distribution: found across Africa and some parts of Iran.
• cheetahs are divided into four subspecies; the Southeast African cheetah, the Northeast African cheetah, the Northwest African cheetah, and the rare Asiatic cheetah.
• Habitat: The cheetah prefers grassland habitats where it has enough space to go after its prey without any obstacles.
• The cheetah prefers grassland habitats where it has enough space to go after its prey without any obstacles.

ocheetahs are divided into four subspecies; the Southeast African cheetah, the Northeast African cheetah, the Northwest African cheetah, and the rare Asiatic cheetah.