India to Launch Camel Mission; First Cheetah Safari Opens

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has released a draft policy paper to launch the National Camel Sustainability Initiative (NCSI), prepared in consultation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

• The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying is planning to launch the National Camel Sustainability Initiative (NCSI) – a national mission aimed at halting the continuous decline in the number of camels in India.
• This proposal has been outlined in a draft policy paper prepared in consultation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• The draft states, "A multi-pronged strategy is required to stop the rapid decline in the camel population in India and to restore its economic and ecological significance."
• As envisioned, NCSI will bring together the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the Ministries of Environment, Rural Development and Tourism, and State Governments to ensure coordinated action.
• According to the 20th Livestock Census, the number of camels in India was 2.52 lakh in 2019, down from about 11 lakh in 1977 and less than 4 lakh in 2013. About 90% of these camels are concentrated in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• World Camel Day (June 22) should be celebrated across the country to promote camel culture and conservation.

About Camels

• Once revered as the "ship of the desert," camels are exceptionally suited to arid land ecosystems and are mainly reared in Rajasthan and Gujarat (90%).
• The pastoral communities associated with camel rearing include the Raika, Rabari, Fakirani Jat, and Manganiyar communities.
• Fat accumulates in the hump of camels, which provides them energy when food is scarce, and they store water not in their humps but in their blood cells.

Major Camel Breeds in India

• Single-humped Dromedary Camel:
• Bikaneri (Rajasthan): Known for its strength and endurance, usually used for cart pulling and heavy load carrying.
• Jaisalmeri (Rajasthan): Known for endurance and speed, this tall and slender breed is used for camel safaris, especially in the Thar Desert.
• Mewari (Rajasthan): Known for its milk-producing capacity.
• Kachchi (Gujarat): A strong load-carrying breed commonly used for plowing and cart pulling in the Rann of Kutch.
• Kharai (Gujarat): Adapted to coastal and mangrove ecosystems and is an excellent swimmer.
• Double-humped Bactrian Camel: In India, it is found specifically in the high-altitude cold desert of Ladakh.

India’s first cheetah safari started in Kuno National Park, MP 

The country’s first cheetah safari has started in Kuno National Park, Sheopur district, Madhya Pradesh. In 2022, under an international rehabilitation program called Project Cheetah, the park welcomed its first cheetahs.

• India has launched its first cheetah safari this month in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. This safari, starting in 2025, will offer visitors a unique opportunity to see the fastest land animal.
• The park was chosen for the cheetah reintroduction project because it is rich in grasslands and has an abundant prey base. In 2022, under an international rehabilitation program, the park welcomed its first cheetahs, and thanks to such programs, the reserve now has 16 cheetahs.
• The safari is designed to minimize human intervention. Scheduled gypsy drives, regulated vehicle entry, and strict protocols aim to allow cheetahs to display their natural behaviors—chasing, roaming, and socializing—rather than performing for cameras.
• The Madhya Pradesh government is planning to bring a female cheetah to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, with the aim of establishing it as a second habitat for cheetahs after Kuno National Park as part of Project Cheetah.

Project Cheetah

• India launched Project Cheetah in 2022 to reintroduce cheetahs into the country after over 70 years of extinction. Operated under Project Tiger, Project Cheetah is the world’s first intercontinental large wild carnivore translocation project and implements the Cheetah Action Plan.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, implements Project Cheetah in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
• As a statutory body, NTCA formed the Cheetah Project Steering Committee in 2023 to monitor, evaluate, and advise on the implementation of the project.
• Eight cheetahs from Namibia and twelve from South Africa were translocated to Kuno National Park, where they displayed natural behavior.
• Currently, India has a total of 27 cheetahs, of which 16 were born in India, while 11 were brought from Namibia and South Africa.