The Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in the city, in collaboration with the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), is working jointly to resurrect the Indian cheetah.
The Indian Cheetah, last spotted in the early 50s, might just be resurrected through gene editing, akin to the dire wolf, which was “de-extincted” in the United States recently after 10,000 years of its existence. The Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in the city, in collaboration with the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), is working jointly to achieve this feat.
As the whole genome sequencing (WGS) process nears completion, the BSIP has announced plans to pursue gene editing of the extinct cheetah. The goal is to reintroduce the species by implanting the edited embryo into the womb of an African cheetah through surrogacy, potentially bringing the predator back to life, reported TOI.
Currently, the only cheetahs in India are those translocated from Namibia and South Africa during 2022–23. Of the 20 cheetahs relocated to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, eight have died, in addition to five cubs born in India.
“We have samples of all extinct Indian cheetahs and are in the final phase of its whole genome sequencing (WGS) that will offer a comprehensive analysis of the cheetah’s entire DNA, enabling the identification of genetic variations that may have led to disease or increased disease risk, eventually leading to its extinction,” said BSIP senior scientist Niraj Rai, head the research team said.
“We will be through with WGS in three months. This will make clear the variations between the Indian cheetah and the African one. Thereafter, we will make changes in the DNA of the African cheetah; this will be done to make it India-specific,” he added.
