In Photos: 12 Cheetahs From South Africa Welcomed at India’s Kuno National Park
In September last year, eight African cheetahs were moved from Namibia to a habitat at Kuno National Park.
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On Saturday, 18 February, Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park welcomed 12 cheetahs under India's 'Project Cheetah', which is officially known as the "Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India."
(Photo: PTI)
India and South Africa had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with respect to sending cheetahs to India and the initiative was coordinated by India's Department of Forestry, Fisheries as well as environment and South African organisations such as the National Biodiversity Institute, National Parks, the Cheetah Range Expansion Project, and the Endangered Wildlife Trust.
(Photo: PTI)
The 'African Cheetah Introduction Project in India' was conceived in 2009, with a plan to introduce the big cats by November last year in Kuno National Park, but it suffered a setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Photo: Twitter/@byadavbjp)
Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said that bringing the cheetah to India will help restore the nation's natural heritage.
According to reports, cheetahs have lost 90 percent of their global habitat in the last 100 years. Additionally, in many of the 31 populations of the cheetah, only 100-200 are left with their habitat consistently deteriorating.
(Photo: PTI)
The seven male and five female cheetahs were released into their quarantined enclosures at the Kuno National Park by MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
(Photo: Twitter/@byadavbjp)
In September last year, eight African cheetahs were moved from Namibia to a habitat at the Kuno National Park.
(Photo: PTI)
The 12 cheetahs were sedated and loaded into crates, which in turn were loaded on the IAF's aircraft at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport in South Africa for a 10-hour flight to Gwalior's Air Force Station.
They were subsequently brought to Kuno National Park in helicopters.
(Photo: PTI)
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