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•  Asiatic Cheetah (Extinct in India)
• Biodiversity in India: Mammals – Critically Endangered
  • Andaman White Toothed Shrew (Crocidura Andamanensis), Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew (Crocidura Jenkinsi) and Nicobar White Tailed Shrew
  • The Large Rock Rat (ELvira Rat) (Cremnomys elvira)
  • The Namdapha Flying Squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi)
  • Malabar Civet (Viverra Civettina) also known as Malabar Large Spotted Civet
  • Himalyan Brown Bear / Red Bear (Ursus arctos Isabellinus)
  • HanguL / Kashmir Red Stag (Cervus Elaphus HangUL)
  • Chinese Pangolin
  • Sumatran Rhino and Javan Rhino – Extinct in India

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1) Asiatic Cheetah (Extinct in India)

• IUCN Status of Asiatic Cheetah
  • CR in Iran (Iran has a subspecies of Asiatic Cheetah, but has refused to share it with India)
  • EX in India.
  • It is the only large carnivore that got wiped out of India, mainly due to over-hunting and habitat loss.
  • The last physical evidence of Asiatic Cheetah in India was from Madhya Pradesh in 1947 when it was hunted by Maharaja Ramanuja Pratap Deo of Surguja State. A female is also said to have been sighted in Koriya District of Chhattisgarh, in 1951.
• Why extinct?
  • Hunting (excessive from Mughal Era to British Period)
  • Two key characteristics:
    • The Cat was very easy to tame. Therefore, it was regularly caught for sports.
    • It was nearly impossible to breed in captivity.
      • There is only 1 formally recorded instance of captive breeding in Emperor Jahangir’s Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri.
  • Classification as Vermin by Britishers in 19th century was the last nail in the coffin.

A) Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India: Project Cheetah

• Project Cheetah is the world’s first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project. Under this there is a plan to introduce 50 African Cheetahs in various protected areas of India under ‘Action Plant for Introduction of Cheetah in India’.
• Goals of Reintroduction:
  • Establish viable Cheetah metapopulation in India that allows the Cheetahs to perform its functional role as a top predator and provide space for the expansion of the Cheetah within its historical range thereby contributing to its conservation efforts.
• Reintroduction:
  • 20 African Cheetah have been imported so far.
    • The first batch of 8 Cheetah arrived in Sep 2022 from Namibia.
    • Another batch of 12 Cheetah arrived in Feb 2023 from South Africa.
  • New Births:

• • • In March 2023, one of the females gave birth to a litter of four cubs(3 of which died due to heatwaves) which were conceived in India.
    • In Dec 2023, three Cheetah cubs were born
• Now, Cheetah is the sixth in the list of Big cats found in India after Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera Tigris tigris), Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo leo), Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia), and Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa).
• Cheetahs were not directly released into wild:
  • They were first kept in quarantine for a month. Then they are released into large electronically fenced area to get acclimatized. Finally, they were released into wild.
• One Year of Project Cheetah (Sep 2023)
  • The Project has achieved success on four fronts:
    • 50% survival of the introduced Cheetahs
    • Establishment of home ranges
    • Birth of cubs in Kuno
    • Increased tourism and revenue for local communities.
  • Yet, as of Jan 2024, the project lost 45% of its functional adult population. Of the 20 Cheetahs that arrived in India, 7 died (Dhatri, Shasha and Shaurya from Namibia and Suraj, Uday, Daksha, and Tejas from South Africa); 2 (Jwala and Nabha from Namibia) were deemed unfit for wild.
  • Four cubs were born in India March 2023, three of which died due to heatwaves, and the fourth is being raised in captivity.
  • 3 more cubs were born in India in Jan 2024. This was also born in captivity.
  • As of 17th Jan 2024, there are 17 Cheetahs at Kuno Palpur (13 adults (7 females, 6 males), four cubs)
• Why so many deaths?
  • Different weather pattern between home and host countries.
    • The cheetahs introduced to India, were from countries in southern hemisphere, where the weather cycle is opposite.
    • Namibia and South Africa had much drier conditions when compared to India. Namibian and south African Cheetah had never experienced heavy rains which they had to face in Kuno.
    • Collars also became a problem. The Cheetahs were unable to lick and clean their wounds as the collars posed an obstruction which then gave rise to bacteria and maggots.
    • For e.g. Dhatri died on 12th Aug 2023, because of infection due to maggot infestation due to humidity. Earlier, two male cheetahs had died of the same cause.
  • Negligence by authorities.
• Steps being taken:
  • Cheetahs were brought back to enclosures and were properly being monitored. Their collar has also been removed.
  • Experts suggest that India may need to bring Cheetah from northern hemisphere from countries like Somalia.
  • There is a suggestion for developing much bigger habitats before bringing in more Cheetahs.

Where are Cheetahs being reintroduced?

• They are being brought to Kuno Palpur National Park (KNP) in MP. This site was rated the highest among the 10 surveyed sites.
  • KNP is 748 sq km in area, devoid of human settlements.
    • It is probably the only wildlife site in the country where there has been a
      complete relocation of villages from inside the park. It forms part of Sheopur Shivpuri deciduous open forest landscape and is estimated to have a capacity to
      sustain 21 cheetahs.
  • It also has good population of Chinkara, spotted deer, and blackbuck, on which Cheetahs can prey and grow in the wild.
  • Here facilities for the big cats have been developed, staff have been trained, and larger predators, such as leopards, have been moved away.
• The Other Sites recommended for holding and conservation breeding of Cheetahs in India, in controlled conditions are:
  • Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary (1,197 sq. km, habitat 5,500 sq.km), Madhya Pradesh
  • Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary – Bhainsrorgarh Wildlife Sanctuary complex (~2500 sq.km), Madhya Pradesh
  • Shahgarh bulge in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan (4,220 sq.km)
  • Mukundara Tiger Reserve as fenced enclosure (~80 sq.km), Rajasthan

 Where are Cheetahs coming from?

• Since, it is not possible to source the CR Asiatic Cheetah from IRAN without affecting this subspecies, India has sourced Cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa.
• African Cheetahs have other advantages (why they are suitable for introduction in India)
  • They have maximum observed genetic diversity among extant cheetahs, an important attribute for a founding population stock.
  • They are also ancestral to all the other cheetah lineage including those found in Iran.
• Note: Cheetahs being introduced are African Cheetah and Cheetahs which had gone extinct from India were Asiatic Cheetah and they are today found in small numbers only in Iran.

 Background: Genesis of the Plan

• Cheetah reintroduction project was first conceived in 2009 and an expert panel formed in 2010 recommended KunoPalpur (MP), Velvadar National Park (Gujarat) and Tal Chappar Sanctuary (Rajasthan) for reintroducing Cheetah.
• But the plans were quashed by the SC as it may have conflicted with reintroduction of Lions here.
• After many hurdles, in Jan 2020, the SC had given the green signal to introduction of African Cheetah on pilot basis to a suitable habitat in India.

2) Biodiversity in India: Mammals- Critically Endangered

1) Andaman White Toothed Shrew (Crocidura Andamanensis), Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew (Crocidura Jenkinsi) and Nicobar White Tailed Shrew

• Distribution
  • Andaman White toothed shrew is found on Mount Harriet in the South Andaman Islands. It is endemic to South Andaman Island.
  • Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew is found on Wright Myo and Mount Harriet in the South Andaman Islands
  • Nicobar White Tailed Shrew is found in the southern tip of Greater Nicobar Island and is also recorded in the area extending from the Campbell Bay National Park to the Galathea River in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.­
• All three of them are endemic to India.
  • They are usually active by twilight or in the night and have specialized habitat requirements.
• Habitat: Leaf litter and rock crevices
• Threats : Habitat loss due to selective logging, natural disasters such as the tsunami and drastic weather changes.
• WPA: Schedule-2 (as amended in 2022)

 2) THE LARGE ROCK RAT (ELVIRA RAT) (CREMNOMYS ELVIRA)

• It is a medium size, nocturnal and burrowing rodent, endemic to India.
• Habitat: Tropical dry deciduous shrubland forest, seen in rocky areas.
• Distribution: Known only from eastern Ghats of Tami Nadu, India.
• Threats: Major threats are habitat loss, conversion of forests and fuel wood collection.

3) The Namdapha Flying Squirrel (Biswamoyopterus Biswasi)

The Namdapha flying squirrel is an arboreal, nocturnal flying squirrel endemic to India.

It was sole in the genus Biswamoyopterus until the description of the Laotian giant flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus laoensis) in 2013.

It was first recorded in 1981 where a single individual was found in Namdapha Tiger Reserve. After that it wasn’t not seen till 2022.

Updates: Missing for 42 years, Namdapha flying squirrel resurfaces in Arunachal (Dec 2023)

IUCN: CR

WPA: Schedule-1 (after 2022 amendment)

Habitat: Tropical forests

Distribution : It is now restricted to as single valley in the Namdapha N.P. (or) W.L.S. in Arunachal Pradesh.

Namdapha National park is the largest protected area in the Eastern Himalayan Biodiversity hotspot and is located in Arunachal Pradesh. It is also one of the largest National Park in India in terms of area (after hemis, desert, Simlipal and Gangotri)

Threats: It is CR due to habitat loss. In addition it is hunted for food, and skins/fur.

Note: Namdapha is home to another flying squirrel (Red Giant Flying Squirrel) (Petaurista petaurista), whose IUCN status is LC. Like other flying squirrels, Red Giant Flying Squirrel is also mostly nocturnal and is able to glide long distance between trees.

4) Malabar Civet (Viverra Civettina) also known as Malabar Large spotted Civet

• ­It is considered one of the world’s rarest mammals. It is endemic to India and was first reported from Travancore, Kerala.
• ­ Nocturnal in nature
• Distribution: Found exclusively in western Ghats.
• Habitat : Wooded plains and hill slopes of evergreen forests.
• Threats : Deforestation and commercial plantations are major threats.
• WPA (as amended in 2022): Schedule-1

5) Himalayan Brown Bear/ Red Bear (URSUS ARCTOS ISABELLINUS)

• Why in news?
  • A Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) as captured by J&K Wildlife Department on May 13, 2023, at Rajwara in the North Kashmir district of Handwara, days after it was found wrecking graveyards, reportedly in search of human cadavers to eat (June 2023: Source – DTE)

It is the largest animal in Himalayas and is usually reddish brown in color. They inhabit altitudes ranging from 2,000 to 2,500 metres, predominantly above the tree line.

It also shows sexual dimorphism (Males (1.5 – 2.2m), Females (1.37 – 1.83m).

Distribution: Nepal, Pakistan, and Northern India. In Hemis National Park, Great Himalayan National Park, Nanda Devi Park -> this may be seen as the giant mammal walking upright.

IUCN Status: CR

Please note that IUCN status of Brown bear is LC (due to its wide distribution). But the Himalayan subspecies is CR.

Updates:

Human encroachment in wildlife has led to bears straying more often into human-dominated areas. Several incidents from various villages of J&K such as Behnipora, Budshungi, and Shatiam have been reported, where more than one bear may have entered.

Key reasons: Insufficient food in their habitats;

6) Hangul/ Kashmir Red Stag (CERVUS ELAPHUS HANGUL)

• A sub specie of red deer which is native to India.
• Hangul has red-brownish coat bringing them in the fold of red deer. The color, however, changes with season and age.
• Note: Earlier it was believed to be a subspecies of red deer. But Mitochondria DNA genetic studies have revealed that is part of the Asian Clade of elk.
• It is native to Jammu and Kashmir, where it is the state animal.
• Known for its giant antlers bearing 11 to 16 points. Hangul has been hunted over centuries and its habitat destroyed.
• Habitat/Distribution: In dense riverine forests, high valleys, and mountains of the Kashmir valley and northern Chamba in Himachal Pradesh.
• Threat:
  1. habitat destruction
  2. Over-grazing by domestic livestock
  3. Poaching.
• In 2016, Hangul was classified as CR by IUCN

• • Once found in thousands in the mountains of Kashmir Valley, the population of the famed Kashmir red deer, has dwindled to less than 150, according to senior wildlife scientists.
  • Its last bastion is Dachigam National Park located on foothills of Zabarwan range on the outskirts of Srinagar, J&K.

7) Chinese Pangolin

The Chinese Pangolin is a pangolin found in Northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, northern Indo China, through most of Taiwan, and Southern China.

Main threat:

• • Poaching
  • Susceptible species due to its food specialization, and stenophagy (only eating several species of ants and termites).

 8) Sumataran Rhino and Javan Rhino- Extinct in India

 More About Sumatran Rhino

• It is the smallest hairiest and most endangered of the five rhinoceros species.
• It is now thought to be regionally extinct in India, though its ones occurred in foothills of Himalayas and north east India.
• They are now critically endangered, with only five substantial populations in the wild: four on Sumatra, and one in Borneo (Indonesian Borneo).
• In total only 80 Sumatran Rhino are thought to exist in the wild now. All are found in Indonesia.

 Key threats

• Isolation is the biggest threat this species face. This is because the females of this species can develop cysts and fibroids in their reproductive tracts if they go too long without mating.
  • It is because of this, in 2018, the world’s leading conservation non-profits, including the National Geographic society, announced an unprecedented collaboration called the Sumatran Rhino Rescue. The aim was to find and safely capture as many Sumatran Rhino as possible so that they can be brought together for captive breeding.
• Habitat destruction have remained a major concern for long.

 The Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is also believed to be extinct in India and only a small number survive in Java and Vietnam

Other Important Rhino species (not found in India)

1. Northern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni)

 Introduction:

• The northern white rhinoceros, or northern square-lipped rhinoceros, was one of the two subspecies of the white rhinoceros.
• Formerly, found in several countries in East and Central Africa of the Sahara, it is listed as Critically Endangered.
• Other subspecies of white Rhino, the Southern White Rhino has the conservation status of Least Concerned.

 Main Reasons for decreased population

• Poaching: Demand for northern white Rhino Horns which can be sold at $50,000 per kg making them more valuable than gold. The demand was fueled by belief in Asia of it treating
  various ailments.
• Habitat Loss

 There are only 2 rhinos of this subspecies left.

• Both belong to the Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic but live in the OI Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya and are protected round the clock with armed guards.
• These two rhinos are
  • Two females (mother-daughter) Najin and Fatu.
• Existence of no males makes the species functionally extinct.
  • It is “possibly extinct in the wild”.

 In March 2018, Sudan the last male white Rhino Died

 Future Prospects

• Developing in-vitro-fertilization techniques using eggs from the last two remaining females, stored northern-white rhino semen from males and surrogate southern white rhino
  females.
• There is a chance that females of Northern white rhino can mate with males of Southern white Rhino a subspecies. Offspring will not be a 100% northern white Rhino; it would be
  better than nothing.

Note: there are five Rhino species in the world: White Rhino (Southern White Rhino (LC) and Northern White Rhino (EW) are two subspecies of this); Black Rhino (CR); Greater One Horned Rhino (VU); Sumatran Rhino (CR); and Javan Rhino (CR).