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9 October 2022.
Introduction:
The Central Government has constituted a task force to monitor the cheetah introduction project in Kuno National Park and other designated areas.
Highlights:
- The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has set up a task force to supervise the cheetah introduction project in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh as well as in other designated areas where the cheetahs can be introduced.
- The functioning of the Cheetah Task Force will be facilitated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
- The task force will remain operational for a period of 2 years.
- It is empowered to appoint a subcommittee to regularly visit the cheetah introduction areas as and when decided by the task force.
- The task force will be involved in reviewing and monitoring the health status of cheetahs and the maintenance of their quarantine areas and soft release enclosures.
- It will also monitor the protection status of the entire area where the cheetahs will roam and the adherence of forest and veterinary officials to the set protocols in these areas.
- It will provide recommendations on the cheetah introduction in India based on the status of cheetah’s overall health, behavior and maintenance status.
- The task force will be involved in the monitoring the overall release process, from quarantine bomas to soft release enclosures and finally into the grasslands and open forest areas.
- It will provide recommendations on the development of tourism infrastructure at the fringe regions of the Kuno National Park and other protected areas where the cheetahs will be exposed.
- It will also give suggestions on the regulation of eco-tourism endeavors.
- It will regularly interact with cheetah mitras and local communities to assess their awareness and involvement in the protection of cheetahs in particular and area in general.
Who are cheetah mitras?
Cheetah mitras or cheetah friends will be involved in raising awareness about cheetahs among communities from the nearby villages and minimize potential conflicts between them and the big cats. Over 400 cheetah mitras from 51 villages have been trained by the forest officials for this purpose.