These cheetahs – seven males and five females – comprise the second batch of big cats coming to the Kuno National Park
Bhopal: Twelve cheetahs from South Africa were flown into Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday morning by an An Indian Air Force (IAF) plane, a report in The Tribune, Chandigarh, says
From Gwalior, they will be flown to the KNP around noon in an IAF helicopter. They will be put into quarantine enclosures after half an hour (12.30pm), an expert said.
They will be released into the KNP by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union minister Bhupender Yadav.
These cheetahs – seven males and five females – comprise the second batch of big cats coming to the KNP. The first batch of eight from Namibia were released on September 17 last year at a function by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The intercontinental translocation of these fastest land animals – first from Namibia and now from South Africa – is part of the Indian government’s ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme.
Cheetah happens to be the only large carnivore that got completely wiped out from India, mainly due to over-hunting and habitat loss.
Discussions to bring the cheetah back to India were initiated in 2009 by the Wildlife Trust of India. Experts from across the world, officials of the Government of India including Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and representatives of the state governments met and decided to conduct site surveys to explore the reintroduction potential.
Former cheetah range states, i.e., Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, were prioritized.
Unveiling the action plan, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav had informed that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was keen on the protection and conservation of seven major big cats including Cheetah.
“Project Cheetah aims to bring back independent India’s only extinct large mammal – the cheetah. As part of the project, 50 cheetahs will be introduced in various National Parks over five years.”
The Action Plan highlights the nation’s preparedness in bringing the cheetah back. Conservation of Cheetahs has a very special significance for the national conservation ethic and ethos. The very name ‘Cheetah’ (Acinonyx Jubatus Venaticus) originates from Sanskrit and means ‘the spotted one’.
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