Reasons for Cheetahs’ Death

26-08-2023

01:22 PM

1 min read

Mains GS-III: Environment & Ecology

What’s in today’s article?

Why in News?
What is the Cheetah Reintroduction Plan/Project Cheetah?
Collaring of Animals
Reasons for Cheetahs’ Neck Injuries
Why are Kuno Cheetahs more Vulnerable due to Collars?
Challenges Ahead

Why in News?

Similar injuries have been noted in at least another three animals after two cheetahs in Kuno died of suspected septicemia from neck wounds caused by radio collars.
Many people who are accustomed to regularly collaring wild cats for monitoring and research both in India and Africa are puzzled by this setback for the reintroduction project.

What is the Cheetah Reintroduction Plan/Project Cheetah?

Discussions to bring the Cheetah back to India were initiated in 2009 by the Wildlife Trust of India.
Under the ‘Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah in India’, 50 cheetahs will be brought from African countries to various national parks over 5 years.
Most suitable site - Kuno Palpur National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh:
- Amongst the surveyed sites of the central Indian states, KNP has been rated the highest, because of its suitable habitat and adequate prey base.
- It is assessed to be capable of supporting 21 Cheetahs and is likely the only wildlife site in the country where villages have been completely relocated from within the park.
- Kuno also provides the possibility of harbouring four of India's big cats - tiger, lion, leopard and Cheetah, enabling them to coexist as they have in the past.
The other sites recommended are - In MP, Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary - Bhainsrorgarh Wildlife Sanctuary complex; In Rajasthan, Shahgarh bulge in Jaisalmer and Mukundara Tiger Reserve.
As part of this project, 20 Cheetahs (8 from Namibia and 12 from South Africa) were Introduced in the KNP to establish a free-ranging population for the first time since their extinction in India 70 years ago.

Collaring of Animals:

Since the 1970s, satellite telemetry has made it possible to monitor individual birds and animals over continental distances.
These tracking devices have become lighter and more sophisticated over time - so much so that there are VHF radio telemeters for even insects today.
Globally, the thumb rule is to keep the weight of a radio collar to less than 3% of the animal’s body weight.
The size of the battery is important - a lighter one would need replacement sooner, which cannot be done without sedating the animal.
Most modern collars for wild cats weigh around 400 g, which is light enough for cheetahs that typically weigh between 20 kg and 60 kg.
Cheetahs are hard to fit collars on as their heads are not much bigger than their necks, especially younger animals.

Reasons for Cheetahs’ Neck Injuries in KNP:

These cheetahs have been wearing these collars for several months in India during the dry periods. They didn’t have any issues until the monsoon arrived.
The bacterial infections under the collars are not reported in African conditions where the skin gets a chance to dry completely between spells of rain. Also, rainfall is a lot less in Africa than in India.
So, monsoon or wet weather can be the reason for neck injuries.

Why are Kuno Cheetahs more Vulnerable due to Collars?

‘Wet mat’ effect could weaken the skin over time: Cheetahs grow a winter coat. It is more furrier compared to the coats of tigers or leopards and would hold more water and take longer to dry.
3% collar weight rule not factoring in “animal athleticism”: During movement, the forces exerted by collars were generally equivalent to up to five times the collar’s weight for a lion and a massive 18 times for a cheetah.
- This would make a 400 g collar ‘weigh’ more than 7 kg on a sprinting cheetah - a lot of weight to carry on a wet coat.
Less immune to local pathogens: These animals could be vulnerable to certain local pathogens to which Indian tigers and leopards may be immune.

Challenges Ahead:

To track, immobilise, and check all the cheetahs for neck injuries. But putting all the animals back in Bomas will push the project back by several months.
There is no roadmap yet for the next monsoon. If these cheetahs are re-released with new radio collars, will they have to be captured again before the next monsoon?
It would be irresponsible to release cheetahs without collars.

Q1) What is a radio collar?

A radio collar is a wide band of machine-belting fitted with a small radio transmitter and battery. The transmitter emits a signal at a specific frequency that can be tracked from up to 5 kms away.

Q2) What is the IUCN status of Cheetah?

Globally, Cheetah species is considered Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with a declining extant population of less than 7,000 individuals found primarily in the savannahs of Africa.

Source: Why Kuno cheetahs are at extra risk due to their radio collars