Multiple cheetah deaths in Kuno raise questions about habitat limits, prey scarcity, and management. A data-driven look at the challenges facing India’s cheetah project T wo back-to-back cheetah deaths—one from a suspected collision inside the forest and another caused by a speeding vehicle—have once again pushed the spotlight onto the ambitious yet troubled cheetah introduction project in Kuno National Park . While officials have issued preliminary statements, the absence of publicly released post-mortem and investigation reports related to the past such cases has deepened concerns about transparency at a time when clarity is essential. The recent incidents highlight the ecological and management challenges that continue to shape the project’s uncertain trajectory. Each Loss Is Significant Setback On December 5, Friday, one of Veera’s cubs recently released into the open forest, died after reportedly separating from its mother. Just two days later, on December 7, another young cheetah...
Braving the blistering May afternoons on the banks of Chambal River, a dedicated team of National Chambal Gharial sanctuary scan the sand mounds spread over a long patch of the river that flows into ravines. This long walk is actually the beginning of a very delicate exercise for the ex-situ conservation of Gharial (Gavialis Gangeticus ) , a critically endangered reptile. The scanning of sands includes the sighting of nests and counting of their numbers and then collection of 200 eggs. And all this takes almost a month’s time. Chambal is one of the few habitats left in the world for these reptiles. In May end, sanctuary staff are ready for the magic moment - the emergence of hatchlings from the egg.
Calling Mom from Beneath the Sand
The ex-situ conservation of Gharial assumes significance and is an extremely important exercise carried out from March when the Gharials lay their eggs to May when they crack the egg with their snout to see the world . Despite over an estimated 10,000 eggs laid by this species of crocodile family every year, only about 2 % hatchlings survive. Shrinking habitat, illegal sand mining and other environmental issues make them further vulnerable. The eggs are laid by the reptiles in the month of March and have an incubation period of about 60 to 65 days. The team led by Jyoti Dandotiya , a senior conservationist , collects 200 eggs and transports them carefully to the hatching centre in Morena , a city nestled in Chambal ravines almost 450 kms North of the capital city of Bhopal . Once the eggs are collected, they are placed beneath the sand brought from Chambal River. The nests made at the centre have the same temperature and moisture as it was recorded in the original nest from where they were collected about 10 to 15 days ago.
Once all the eggs are conserved, Jyoti and his team members train their ears to hear the feeble croaking sound of the mother- call coming out from the eggs placed beneath the sand. And as soon as the sound starts emanating ,the sand is immediately removed to let the ‘baby’ come out of the egg. “Its sheer bliss”, says Dandotiya. In fact the sanctuary staff simply replicate an exercise that is carried out in the wild when the female Gharial would wait for the call as she waits in the river nearby . AS soon as she hears the croaking sound , it slithers down to the nest to dig out the sand and let the hatchlings come out. The hatchlings break the egg with an egg-tooth, said Dandotiya. In the hatching centre, the hatchlings are carefully quarantined. But in the wild, the moment a hatchling comes out from the nest, it slips down to the water. “ The nests are made in such a way that they are on the top of a slope to enable the hatchlings to roll down to the water”, said Dandotiya. But these days climate change has started affecting the already fragile life cycle of this endangered harmless creature.
No Study Yet for the Impact of Global Warming
For the past few years, say about a decade, Global warming has disturbed the Gharial’s breeding cycle. There was a time when they would lay eggs in March end when the day temperature starts going up. But now Gharial lays eggs about 15 days in advance. It has an incubation period of about 60 to 65 days, so the moments of mother- call have also advanced for about 15 days. The mother Gharial makes a nest close to the river bank on the top of the sand mound so that when the hatchlings come out, they can easily roll down to the river to reach the waters.
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But thanks to the higher day temperature and uncertainty of rainfall, the river shrinks early and shifts away from the nesting site, Dandotiya said . There is always a risk of predators while the lizard –sized hatchlings travel a longer distance after coming out from eggs and reaching the river, the conservationist said. Besides, the sand bed is too hot for the hatchling that is barely a few moments old and it succumbs to high temperatures even before reaching the river. However, a comprehensive study on the possible impact of climate change is yet to take off, perhaps, anywhere in the world, claims Jailabdeen, a research scholar from Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology (MCBTCH). He is studying the reptile in Chambal.
High Mortality Leads to Decline in Population
Only about 2 % of reptiles survive in the wild and there are mass casualties once the river is flooded in the monsoon in July. Which is why the ex -situ conservation is important. The reptiles reared in the hatching centre of Morena are released in the river in the winters when they attain a length of 1.20 meters in about 2 -year of period. Those who are still short of this length, they are released by the next winter.This is also the right time for the wildlife tourists to visit the sanctuary and do some great wildlife photography. At present there are 2176 Gharials in the sanctuary that is spread across the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The census of these Gharials takes place in winters when all the reptiles, irrespective of their shape and size come out of the river to bask in the sunlight and conserve energy. This is also the time when they mate and lay eggs in March , when the exercise of collection of eggs begins.
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