New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today stayed the Centre's project of bringing in 15 cheetahs from Namibia in Africa to the Kunopalpur sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
"Why are you bothered about cheetah in Africa. Let us give priority to our own species," the top court observed while hearing a case relating to the proposed shifting of a few Asiatic Lions to the sanctuary from Gujarat.
The Supreme Court's remarks came after the amicus curiae, PS Narasimha, while arguing against the "disastrous" move by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) to bring in 13 cheetahs into the sanctuary, said that the foreign species will endanger the Indian breed of wild cats in the sanctuary. He further said that the National Board for Wildlife had not been consulted over the import of the animals, citing that a whopping Rs 300 crores were being spent on the project.
The top court also took strong exception the to the Centre's response that a decision on whether lions or cheetahs would be shifted to the sanctuary would be taken by experts soon. "Your stand is vacillating. First you said cheetah, now lion. Which is your priority?" the court asked. When the government said it was the latter, an angry court slammed the Centre saying, "You are acting irresponsibly."