INDIA: According to a recent update, 12 cheetahs, including seven males and five females, will reach India today. The Indian Air Force’s C-17 Globemaster Cargo plane will deliver the rare species from South Africa. The big cats would be translocated to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh as a rewilding project to establish a viable cheetah population in India.
South Africa and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for joining hands in the reintroduction of cheetahs in India in January 2023. The last cheetah was killed in Chhattisgarh in 1952, and India lost the rare species due to widespread hunting. As a result, the cheetah is now extinct in India. But on September 17, 2022, eight cheetahs have finally imported from Namibia thanks to PM Modi’s efforts.
Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, in his statement, said, “The 12 cheetahs arriving from South Africa, under the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi ji to restore our ecological balance, have begun their journey to India. The Indian Air Force’s C-17 Globemaster aircraft will get them home tomorrow. Get ready to welcome them.”
SP Yadav, the Cheetah Project Chief of India, will do a full body checkup on the cheetahs, and after that, they will remain in quarantine for a month after being brought in. According to the report, Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh has made all necessary preparations to ensure the comfort of the park’s newest inhabitants. They will be constantly observed; therefore, it will take some time to get used to their new environment.
The South African Department of Environmental Affairs’ Flora Mokgohloa disclosed that nine cheetahs are from Limpopo province, and three are from KwaZulu-Natal province.
The Department said, “India needs to reestablish its cheetah population, and South Africa is committed to expanding our conservation efforts to those places where cheetahs used to exist.”
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