In September 2022, cheetah came back to India after 70 years, when PM Modi released the first batch of eight cheetahs from Namibia into a quarantine enclosure at the Kuno National Park.
Credit: Charles. J Sharp/Wikimedia Commons
The “Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah in India,” created by the Wildlife Institute of India, calls for the import of approximately 12-14 (8-10 male, 4-6 female) wild cheetahs from South Africa, Namibia, and other African countries for use as a founding population for the reintroduction of cheetahs in India. This initial importation will take place over five years, with additional imports potentially being required as needed for the success of the program.
READ: South African cheetahs to be relocated to the heart of India
An official associated with the project has stated that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has given his tentative approval for the project and that a final memorandum of understanding will be finalized within a week. The official also stated that Union Forest Director General Chandra Prakash Goyal, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Member Secretary SP Yadav, and other officials from the forest ministry will depart for South Africa on 13 January to transport the cheetahs.
‘The government of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of the Republic of Namibia on ‘Wildlife Conservation and Sustainable Biodiversity Utilization’ on 20 July 2022,’ Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey said in Rajya Sabha according to mint.
The imported cheetahs will serve as a founding population for the reintroduction program in India for five years, after which additional imports may be conducted as needed to support the program. Cheetahs were previously native to India, but were eliminated from the country due to overhunting and habitat loss, and were declared extinct in 1952.
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