Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae
Genus : Acinonyx
Species : Acinonyx jubatus
Subspecies : Acinonyx jubatus venaticus
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is to make a detailed study around the Sathyamangalam forest range for re-introduction of the cheetah, which became extinct about 60 years ago.NTCA has constituted a Project Cheetah Task Force to take forward the work of selecting favourable sites. The project was the brainchild of former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.
The first batch of cheetahs from Namibia was to reach India by mid-2012 and was to be reintroduced in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno Palpur wildlife sanctuary. But the project was dropped after the Supreme Court slammed the ministry on various grounds. Moreover, the move to ‘re-introduce’ Cheetah in Tamil Nadu or India has not enthused Indian environment experts.
There are many instances the cheetah existed in popular culture in Tamil Nadu. It varied from the matchbox label to the popular novel, Vettupuli. However, even the author is not sure about the existence of the cheetah in the State! The return of the cheetah would make India the only country to host six of the world’s eight big cats: lions, tigers, jaguars and panthers.
Courtesy: http://www.newindianexpress.com
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