Twelve cheetahs will be brought from South Africa on February 18 as part of the ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said on Thursday. India and South Africa had signed an MoU in January to transport cheetahs from the African country and reintroduce them in Kuno.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight spotted cats from Namibia – five females and three males – into a quarantine enclosure at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on his 72nd birthday on September 17 last year.
Read this also | Madhya Pradesh: Ailing female cheetah in Kuno National Park is much better now, official says
At present, eight cheetahs in Kuno are killing one prey every three-four days and are in good health, officials said. One of the cheetahs was unwell as its creatinine level had increased. She has recovered after treatment. DG Wildlife SP Yadav said, “All cheetahs in Kuno National Park have adapted well to their surroundings. Barring one cheetah named ‘Sasa’, all cheetahs are keeping well.”
Yadav said, “IAF’s C-17 Globemaster took off from Hindon airbase to SA this morning to bring home 12 cheetahs. IAF is not charging any money for this work. On February 18, the cheetahs will be euthanized by the federation.” Will be released in the National Park. Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Most of the world’s 7,000 cheetahs live in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Namibia has the largest population of cheetahs in the world.
The cheetah is the only large carnivore that has been completely exterminated from India, mainly due to overhunting and habitat loss. The last spotted cat died in 1948 in the Sal forests of Koriya district of Chhattisgarh.
“After the import of 12 cheetahs in February, there are plans to move 12 more annually for the next eight to 10 years. The terms of the MoU will be reviewed every five years to ensure that it remains relevant,” Environment the ministry said.
According to the ‘Action Plan for the Re-introduction of Cheetah in India’ prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India, about 12-14 wild cheetahs which are ideal for establishing a new cheetah population are imported from South Africa, Namibia and other African countries. Will be done Founder stock initially for five years and then as required by the program.
(With PTI inputs)