8 cheetahs arriving from Namibia on Sept 17

New Delhi, September 14

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A malnourished female cheetah nursed back to health by farm workers and two brothers who hunt together as a team are among the eight big cats being brought from Namibia to reintroduce the species in India.

The large carnivore got completely wiped out from India due to their use for coursing, sport hunting, over-hunting and habitat loss. The government declared the cheetah extinct in the country in 1952.

Starting in the 1970s, efforts of the Indian Government to re-establish the species in its historical ranges in the country led to the signing of a pact on July 20 with Namibia, which is donating the first eight individuals to launch the Cheetah reintroduction programme.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to release the spotted felines — five females and three males — into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on his birthday on September 17.

As part of the first-of-its-kind transcontinental mission, the cheetahs will head for India in a customised Boeing 747-400 aircraft from Namibia’s capital Windhoek, travelling overnight and reaching Jaipur on the morning of September 17. They will then be flown to their new home — Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh — in helicopters. — PTI

Declared extinct in India in 1952

• The cheetah got wiped out from India due to their use for coursing, sport hunting, over-hunting and habitat loss.
• The government declared the carnivore extinct in the country in 1952.