Why Did Indian Cheetah Become Extinct? All You Need To Know

Here's all you need to know about the extinction of the only carnivore in India and the ambitious plan for its relocation all across the continent.

India, an abode of millions of diverse species of flora and fauna, is failing to protect its ecosystem due to the ongoing degradation of the environment. The first ever alarm that shook India was the death of the last Cheetah of India in the year 1947, in the year 1952, Cheetahs were declared extinct in the country. The fact has been confirmed and widely discussed by Kenneth Lee, in his journal, "Can Cloning Save Endangered Species".

Following the ambitious plan of the Indian Government for the transcontinental relocation of the Cheetahs, several steps and initiatives were taken. Recently, India took another step forward to bring the fastest known animal back to the country by signing an agreement with Namibian officials. This agreement has been negotiated for quite a long time, and this deal is the basis of the plan of relocation of Cheetahs to India. 

As per the information from the Ministry of Wildlife and Conservation, India has selected the wilds of Kuno Palpur in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh to release the Cheetahs from Namibia, South Africa. The Cheetahs are coming to India for a one-year trial, as it is an experiment to explore whether the Cheetahs from Namibia could adapt to the habitat of India or not. 

The cheetah is one of the oldest of the big cat species, with ancestors that can be traced back more than five million years to the Miocene Era. The Cheetah is the only known carnivore that has completely been extinct in India; As per the National Geographic Society following could be the reasons that led to the extinction of Cheetahs in India: 

Loss of Habitat: The never-ending Human-Wildlife has been the primary reason behind the extinction of Cheetahs. The human need for infrastructural development and our quest for modernity has cost the lives of several species. Factors like deforestation and agricultural expansion eventually led to less habitat for the wildlife. 

Hunting and Illegal Trafficking: The illegal trafficking of the faunas has caused the extinction of Cheetahs and many more animals in multiple ways, firstly, it is the direct killing of the animals, secondly, it disturbs the whole food web and chain that results in the lesser availability of preys to carnivores. 

Human Population Growth: The betterment of medical facilities has undoubtedly helped humankind to grow its population but it certainly has caused extreme pressure on natural resources available as the resources are limited and the population has grown exponentially over the years, in order to sustain such a large population the human has snatched the resources that were meant for other creatures. 

Climate Change: With one factor leading to another, the race of matching the standards of modernity has caused humans to exploit natural resources, and selfishly degrade the environment for their own benefits, the change in the climate has made it impossible for some of the creatures to survive on the earth. The degrading climate is also one of the reasons why India lost all of its Cheetah a long ago. 

As per the speculations, the government is all set to bring Cheetahs from Namibia and they are likely to be released before 15th August. This one-year trial is crucial to figuring out the future of India’s plan for relocating Cheetahs transcontinental.