Meet Dr MK Ranjitsingh, former IAS officer, the ‘superhero’ who helped bring back cheetahs to India after 70 years

Eight cheetahs were taken from Namibia, marking the long-awaited return of the big cat, seven decades after the Asiatic cheetah was listed as extinct in India. During his birthday celebrations in 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight African cheetahs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Dr MK Ranjitsinh Jhala, 84, was another person who was perhaps happier than the Prime Minister that day. Ranjit Singh, a 1961 batch former IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, was one of the architects of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 and it was his childhood dream to reintroduce cheetahs to the country. Even though the cheetah was extinct, the former director of wildlife protection included it as a protected species when writing the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

MK Ranjitsingh – The Superhero

If the conservation community in India had to choose a superhero, MK Ranjitsingh would undoubtedly be the man of steel. This intellectual genius has spent more than 50 years exploring India’s wilderness, developing groundbreaking legislation, inspiring action for little-known endangered species, and launching groundbreaking conservation initiatives. A scion of the erstwhile Wankaner royal dynasty of Saurashtra, Gujarat, Ranjit Singh joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1961. As they say, the rest is history.

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MK Ranjitsingh – Notable Works

He was in charge of the initial efforts to conserve the highly endangered Barasingha deer, Ruscervus duvaucelli, of central India. They also made it possible to relocate the first village outside a national park, opening the door for future resettlement. He wrote the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 while serving as Deputy Secretary to the Government of India for Forests and Wildlife. This piece of legislation remains India’s only hope for wildlife. He made plans to provide financial assistance from the central government to the states for the establishment of national parks and sanctuaries. He was the first Director of Wildlife Conservation in India under this Act. Later, he contributed to the recognition of India’s first Tiger Reserve while serving as Member Secretary of the Task Team that developed Project Tiger, one of the most effective conservation initiatives in the world. Then, from 1975 to 1980, this one-man army provided invaluable services to nations in the Asia-Pacific region, serving as a nature conservation consultant at UNEP’s Bangkok regional office. On his return to India, he oversaw the notification of 11 sanctuaries and eight national parks. While serving as the state’s Forest Secretary, he expanded the boundaries of three more national parks in Madhya Pradesh.

MK Ranjitsingh – Awards and Recognitions

He previously received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 for his work in wildlife conservation. He has also held positions as Director of Wildlife Conservation, Chairman of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), Director General of WWF Tiger Conservation Program (TCP), former Secretary of Forest and Tourism in Madhya Pradesh and Regional Advisor to Nature. Conservation (Asia and the Pacific) for UNEP. He was also in charge of preventing the extinction of the reindeer in central India. In Madhya Pradesh, Ransit Singh also created eight national parks and fourteen sanctuaries.

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MK Ranjitsingh – The Protector

It was the tireless efforts of MK Ranjitsingh that resulted in a ban on the export of snake skin, crocodile skin and fur from the country. He is just as intimidating in the boardroom as he is on the field. He initiated successful captive breeding and release projects for all three species of Indian crocodiles, all equally affected by wild animals.

MK Ranjitsingh – Love for Cheetah

In the early 1970s, India made the first attempt to reintroduce non-vegetarian food. Even then Ranjit Singh was the one who talked to Iran, but once the Emergency was declared in 1975 and the Shah of Iran was overthrown in 1979, no further progress could be made in the talks. Since that time, Ranjitsinh and Dibyabhanusinh Chavda, a wildlife conservationist, have worked on regulations and strategies to reintroduce cheetahs. The ‘African Cheetah Introduction Project in India’ was set up in 2009, but as of 2020 the Supreme Court had not given its final approval. Ranjitsingh was selected by the SC to head the expert group constituted for rehabilitation.

There was once a healthy population of cheetahs across India, but according to stories, Maharaja Ramanuja Pratap Singh Deo of Korea killed the last three giant cats in 1947. hunting and habitat destruction.