Kenya has shown interest in joining the International Big Cat Alliance following the approval of a Ksh2.6 billion (₹150 crore) budget by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the union.
Speaking on March 1, India's Senior Environmental Ministry, Bhupendra Yadav, mentioned that Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, and Peru have also expressed interest in joining the alliance.
"It is an initiative aimed at addressing transboundary conservation issues, as saving big cats also entails preserving ecosystems in the 96 big cat range countries. It also serves as a diplomatic endeavour, showcasing India's soft power. That is why India has initiated this alliance alongside other climate-related alliances that are already making significant strides," stated a senior environment ministry official on Friday.
Presently, the IBCA is headquartered in India and has a significant mandate of conserving seven big cat species, including the tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar, and cheetah.
However, out of the seven big cat species, only five — the tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, and cheetah — are found in India.
"India has also successfully translocated a big cat species from one continent to another through the Project Cheetah. All these experiences will come in handy for India to lead the big cat conservation programme,” the minister further commented.
Meanwhile, Switzerland's International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Russia's The Amur Tiger Centre are among nine other partner organisations who have also agreed to join the alliance as partner organisations.
The interest comes after a presidential state visit conducted by President William Ruto on December 6, 2023.
Following Ruto's visit Indian Ministry of Environment submitted a proposal for acquiring Kenya's cheetahs that were supposed to be exposed to the nation.
However full details over the number Kenya was willing to export and the timeline for acquisition were not revealed.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Modi has since hailed Ruto's decision to join the Alliance.
“We will be able to strengthen global efforts for the conservation of big cats," Ruto stated.
