New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) The National Tiger Conservation Authority has approved a proposal to film a four-part web series on Project Cheetah “to showcase the country’s efforts to the world”, official records show.
It has been revealed that filming will likely begin in September, around the second anniversary of Project Cheetah on September 17th.
In a letter to Madhya Pradesh’s chief wildlife warden on July 21, NTCA deputy inspector general Vaibhav Chandra Mathur said the authority’s eighth technical committee has approved the proposal for a web series on the world’s first intercontinental translocation of large carnivores – Project Cheetah.
“In this regard, it is requested that M/s Shane Films and Planting Productions may please be facilitated to carry out and complete filming at Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary as per the standard terms and conditions, so as to showcase the efforts of the country to the world,” the letter said.
The state’s chief wildlife warden approved the proposal on August 6.
“It is requested that M/s Shane Films and Planting Productions be allowed to carry out filming as per the terms and conditions and also ensure necessary assistance to crew members during documentation of Project Cheetah. Please also ensure that while filming cheetahs, a minimum number of crew members carry out their work under the supervision of officers/veterinarians at the bomas,” the then state CWLW Subharanjan Sen said in a letter to additional principal chief conservator of forests, Shivpuri, and divisional forest officer, Mandsaur.
According to the proposal seen by PTI, the web series will be aired on Discovery Network in various languages across 170 countries.
The aim of the film is to highlight the concept of Project Cheetah, the difficulties faced in bringing the animal back to India, the status of cheetahs and future expectations.
The proposal states that its aim is to make people “understand the nuances of this massive project”.
The creators, who have previously collaborated with the NTCA and the Wildlife Institute of India, have also approached ‘Madhya Pradesh Tourism’ and the MP Tiger Foundation for help in ensuring funding for the implementation of the project.
“Though financial assistance is not possible, we will extend full support for filming the web series as per the instructions,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
Questioning the haste in filming the “documentary”, Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said the project “faces many challenges that need to be addressed first.”
He also questioned the process of granting permission to film the web series and said records showed that the Cheetah Project Steering Committee, constituted in May last year to monitor and review the progress of the project and advise the Madhya Pradesh forest department and the NTCA on its implementation, “never discussed the issue”.
So far, 20 cheetahs have been brought to India from Africa, of which eight will be brought from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023.
Some of the cheetahs were initially released into the wild, but were returned to the enclosures after three died of septicemia on August 13 last year.
On Tuesday, the only free-roaming leopard, Pawan, was found dead, and officials said the primary cause of death was drowning.
In a meeting held last week, the steering committee decided that the leopards and their cubs would be released into the wild in a phased manner after the monsoon recedes from the central parts of the country, which usually occurs by the first week of October.
The project was initially criticised for animal deaths. However, after the birth of 12 cubs this year, officials say the project is moving in the right direction.
Since their arrival in India, eight adult leopards have died, three females and five males. Seventeen cubs have been born in India, of which 12 are alive.
According to officials, India has also stepped up efforts to bring in a fresh batch of 12-14 Cheetahs by the end of the year, and a delegation will soon visit South Africa for ground level talks.
Talks are also underway with Kenya and a MoU is being finalised, PTI has learnt.
The ‘Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah in India’ calls for bringing about 12-14 cheetahs per year for five years from South Africa, Namibia and other African countries to establish founder stock.
The next batch of cheetahs will be brought to Gandhi Sagar, which has been chosen as the second site to bring in the cheetahs as Kuno has already exceeded its capacity of housing 20 cheetahs.
PTI has also learnt that Kuno, the first home of relocated cheetahs in India, is struggling due to an overpopulation of leopards and low prey base, leading to delay in preparations at Gandhi Sagar.
The summary records of the steering committee meetings also reveal that prey enrichment and leopard management are among the major challenges facing the initiative.
As an interim solution, the authorities are bringing prey to both Kuno and Gandhi Sagar areas. Due to the high population of leopards in both the areas, a drive to relocate the leopards has also been launched.
Cheetahs have co-existed with leopards and lions in Africa, but some authorities in India consider the overpopulation of leopards in Kuno and Gandhi Sagar as problematic because it would “reduce the prey biomass for the cheetahs”.
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