With India set to host the first global summit on big cats early next month, in which representatives of over 90 countries are expected to adopt a ‘Delhi Declaration’ on protection of seven big cats, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, in an e-mail interview with Nikhil Ghanekar, said that having a separate free-ranging population of Asiatic Lions is under consideration. The translocation of Asiatic Lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh has not been implemented despite Supreme Court’s orders, but Yadav said states concerned are being consulted. He also said under Project Cheetah, the intention is not to keep the spotted cats in enclosures permanently. Edited excerpts.
Apart from the Delhi declaration, is the government and IBCA secretariat working on specific projects to translocate big cats from India’s forests to countries (other than Cambodia) to help them revive their population?
Countries like Kazakhstan have initiated tiger reintroduction but as far as IBCA is concerned, no proposal for sourcing big cats from India has been received.
India’s Asiatic Lions continue to remain an isolated, island population, with Gujarat refusing to translocate lions to Madhya Pradesh, despite Supreme Court’s orders to move some to Kuno National Park. With zoonotic diseases and contagious ones like canine distemper virus still a threat, what is the Union government doing to urge the Gujarat government to nudge it towards translocation?
The conservation and long-term security of the Asiatic lion is a matter of national importance. Over the years, significant conservation efforts by Gujarat, supported by the central government, have resulted in a steady recovery of the Asiatic lion population and expansion of its distribution within the Greater Gir landscape. At the same time, the importance of securing geographically separated populations as part of long-term species conservation has also been recognized in various scientific and policy discussions. The issue of establishment of an additional free-ranging population has been under consideration in consultation with state governments concerned, scientific institutions and expert bodies.
The Central government continues to support scientific assessment, disease surveillance, habitat preparedness, prey augmentation and inter-agency coordination relating to lion conservation. Measures relating to wildlife health monitoring, veterinary preparedness and surveillance for infectious diseases have also been strengthened in recent years.
Conservation decisions involving translocation of large carnivores require careful consideration of ecological, genetic, veterinary, social and management-related factors, along with coordination between the states concerned.
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A fallout of tigers found outside tiger reserves has been conflict with humans, and poaching. Even as tiger numbers in Vidarbha and MP remain large, and despite healthy population growth, poaching rings threaten them. What steps have been taken?
Protection and monitoring mechanisms in tiger landscapes have been strengthened over the years through coordinated efforts of NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority), State Forest Departments and multiple enforcement agencies. Emphasis is on protection in landscapes witnessing increasing tiger dispersal and breeding populations outside core tiger reserves, especially across parts of Central India.
A combination of field protection, tech-based surveillance, intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination is being used to tackle poaching and illegal wildlife trade. Several tiger-bearing states have strengthened Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) deployments, anti-poaching camps, patrolling intensity and surveillance systems through platforms such as M-STrIPES.
Many cheetahs still remain in enclosures and a lot of manpower and resources are spent on their tracking, tranquilizing them… When will all enclosures cease to exist? And till when will authorities tranquilize cheetahs to get them back to forested landscapes, instead of letting them co-exist with humans?
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Project Cheetah is still in an early and carefully managed phase of reintroduction. It is being implemented in accordance with the Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India and management recommendations of the Cheetah Project Steering Committee and technical experts.
The use of enclosures at present is part of a scientific acclimatization and monitoring process followed globally in carnivore reintroductions, particularly when animals are being introduced into a landscape after a long ecological absence. These enclosures help in assessing animal health, adaptation, ranging behaviour and hunting ability before full free-ranging conditions are established.
The intention is not to keep cheetahs in enclosures permanently. As more individuals settle, establish stable home ranges, and adapt to local conditions, intensive management is expected to reduce. The pace of this transition has to be guided by ecological realities, animal behaviour, prey availability, landscape conditions, and scientific assessment rather than fixed timelines. At the same time, occasional tranquilization and retrieval operations are sometimes necessary from the perspective of animal, human safety, veterinary intervention, genetic management, or conflict prevention.
