Rajkot: In an important step towards establishing a cheetah population in Gujarat, around 500 blackbucks from Bhavnagar’s Velavadar and Bhal region will be relocated to Kutch’s Banni grasslands, which is expected to emerge as India’s second major cheetah habitat after Kuno in Madhya Pradesh.The Centre has approved the translocation as part of efforts to create a robust prey base for the big cats.Forest officials said the prey density in Banni is currently inadequate to sustain large predators. As part of habitat preparation, the department has already introduced species such as chital and sambar and is now focusing on blackbucks, one of the cheetah’s preferred prey species.The Centre and the Gujarat govt are jointly developing India’s first captive breeding and conservation centre for cheetahs in the Banni grasslands.Blackbucks are found across 32 villages in Vallabhipur, Sihor, Dholera, Velavadar, and the wider Bhal region, and their population, according to the latest census, is close to 6,300.“We have received approval from the central govt to shift blackbucks to Banni. Blackbucks living in revenue (non-protected) areas of Bhavnagar face increasing human interference. This will be a win-win situation, as the animals will get a new habitat while helping strengthen the ecosystem in Banni,” said Dheeraj Mittal, conservator of forests, Kutch circle.Assistant conservator of forests, Velavadar, Nilesh Joshi, said Banni’s grassland ecosystem closely resembles that of the Bhal region.“Blackbucks in revenue areas face multiple threats, including attacks by stray dogs, infrastructure development around Dholera, expansion of salt pans and the conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural use. I have suggested that the first batch of blackbucks be captured from these areas so they can be relocated to the safer habitat available in Banni,” Joshi said.The first batch of three cheetahs is expected to arrive in Banni during the monsoon. The animals are currently undergoing mandatory quarantine and isolation procedures at a special facility in Kuno. Officials are also working on plans to import cheetahs from South Africa under the national cheetah reintroduction programme.The project is being implemented under the supervision of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which is overseeing habitat development, prey augmentation and long-term conservation planning for the species in Gujarat.
