In a significant boost to the Government of India’s in-situ conservation efforts, Vantara, an organisation founded by Mukesh Ambani son entrepreneur Anant Ambani, has announced the birth of five cheetah cubs at its facility in Jamnagar, according to an official release.
These cubs, born under Vantara’s Cheetah Conservation Program, mark a vital milestone in the effort to reintroduce cheetahs into India’s natural habitats. In line with Vantara’s mission, the cubs will soon be rewilded to aid in restoring the country’s biodiversity. The mother, lovingly named Swara, and her cubs are thriving and are under the expert care of Vantara’s wildlife veterinarians, ensuring their health and well-being.
Dr. Adrian Tordiffe, a senior veterinarian from South Africa involved in the program, explained the pregnancy and birth process, noting that cheetah pregnancy is difficult to confirm until the late stages due to subtle physical changes.
He further shared that the cubs are now active, walking and running around their habitat. Craig Gouws, head curator of the program, emphasised that hidden cameras were installed throughout the habitat to minimize human contact and stress for the mother and cubs. He also highlighted the importance of the cheetah in India’s biodiversity, expressing pride in seeing these cubs born as part of the ongoing conservation efforts, the release stated.
This ex-situ effort creates an environment that closely mirrors the cheetahs’ natural habitat, helping them acclimatize to India’s weather and conditions. Vantara will work in close collaboration with the central government and selected state governments to implement the rewilding program.
As per the release, rewilding cheetahs is a multi-step process, involving adaptation to the environment, training in hunting skills, and reducing human dependency. After their release into the wild, the cheetahs will be closely monitored using Global Positioning System (GPS) collars to track their health and movement.
The program also focuses on engaging local communities, managing ecosystems, and ensuring long-term conservation efforts to establish a sustainable environment where cheetahs can thrive naturally.
Cheetahs, once widespread across Africa, the Middle East, and India, now occupy just 9% of their historical range, making them one of the most endangered big cat species globally. Listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with the Asiatic subspecies classified as Critically Endangered, they face significant threats from habitat loss, prey depletion, and illegal trade.
With approximately 7,000 adults remaining, primarily in Africa, cheetahs rely on well-managed protected areas for survival. Included under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), international trade in wild-caught cheetahs is banned, with limited exceptions. Reintroduction initiatives, such as those in India, bring renewed hope for safeguarding this species for future generations, according to the release.
(With inputs from ANI)
