But pre-1960 era of cheetahs may soon be back. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is all set to develop a `Cheetah Breeding Facility' at Machiya Nature Reserve near Jodhpur in Rajasthan. If the proposal is through, there will be cheetahs in the country's forests in two years.

The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), Namibia, has agreed to assist the project. They have also agreed to share the technical knowledge of breeding and conserving cheetahs.

Namibia's Waterberg Plateau national park's chief warden Trygve Cooper said his country with a population of around 2,500 cheetahs, could help in re-introducing cheetahs in India. Besides, Machiya, with its similar topography to Namibia could also sustain a cheetah population, he added.

The challenge now before the projectenthusiasts pertains to ownership of the Reserve. Once that is determined, a working arrangement can be structured and a trust established. Members of the trust would include local and international biologists, Government representatives and citizens, said WWF officials.

When efforts to re-introduce cheetahs in India began in 1980s, a forum of experts including World Wildlife Fund (WWF) India officials concluded it was unfeasible to re-introduce the cheetah because there was no habitat or prey base for it. The other option, at that time, was to make the cheetah a zoo exhibit. And even that idea was eventually dropped because such captive zoo programmes have not been successful in India.

In mid-1994, Karl Amman, a tourism consultant, discussed with Gaj Singh of the Jodhpur royal family the possibility of re-introducing cheetahs in the large Machiya Nature Reserves. In 1995, Amman visited the Reserve and laid his plan before various civil leaders, Government representatives and NGO executives.

At the endof 1995, an action plan for the Machiya Nature Reserve was developed and submitted to the Jodhpur division of WWF. At the same time Amman drew up a proposal known as `Cheetahs for Rajastan' and submitted it to various international cheetah specialists for review. In 1996, the proposal was discussed at IUCN (World Conservation Unions), hosted by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), Namibia, and supported by conservation experts.

The same year, CCF director Laurie Marker Kraus, along with a group of cat experts visited Jodhpur and concluded that it had great potential for holding and breeding cheetahs due to its location, size, natural habitat, water availability and tourism potential.

If things work out well, the animal will raise its magnificent head again.