8 Namibian Cheetahs Return to Indian Soil After 70 years

8 Namibian Cheetahs Return to Indian Soil After 70 years: The cheetahs have returned to India, where they had been extinct domestically for more than 70 years. Prime Minister Modi hailed the cheetahs’ release into Indian wildlife as a momentous day. The big cats were transported by helicopter to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh from Namibia’s capital, Windhoek.

8 Namibian Cheetahs Return to Indian Soil After 70 years: Highlights

• On the occasion of his 72nd birthday, Indian Prime Minister Modi released eight big cats into the wild.
• Cheetahs were reintroduced into the Indian fauna in Kuno-Palpur National Park in Madhya Pradesh (KPNP).
• They have returned to India after 70 years of being extinct from the country.
• Asiatic cheetahs once lived in India, but the country declared the species extinct in 1952.
• This arrival of cheetahs from Namibia is considered the biggest wildlife translocation project in history.
• These cheetahs were chosen based on an evaluation of their health, wild nature, hunting abilities, and capacity to contribute genetically.
• To track the cheetahs’ whereabouts through satellite, radio collars have been fitted to every one of them. They will also be watched over for the next 24 hours.

About the 8 cheetahs

• The cheetahs were housed in bomas at the Namibian Cheetah Conservation Fund Center in Otjiwarongo. [Bomas is a small fenced camp in which animals are kept temporarily for treatment of quarantine]
• Every single one of them has received vaccinations, been given a satellite collar, and has gone through extensive health check-ups.

Facts about Cheetah

• They are listed in Schedule II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972.
• African Cheetah
  • IUCN status: Vulnerable
  • CITES status: Appendix-I
  • Distribution: Found all over the African continent
  • Physical Characteristics: They are bigger as compared to Asiatic Cheetah.
• Asiatic Cheetah
  • IUCN status: Critically Endangered
  • CITES status: Appendix-I
  • Distribution: 40-50 found only in Iran
  • Physical Characteristics: They are smaller and paler than the African cheetah. They have a long neck, a smaller head, and more fur.

Kuno National Park

• Established in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary, Kuno National Park is a national park in Madhya Pradesh, India.
• In 2018, the state government changed the wildlife sanctuary’s designation to Kuno National Park.
• It belongs to the ecoregion of Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous woods.