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New Delhi: 12 cheetahs will be brought from South Africa. This information was given by Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Thursday. As part of an ambitious cheetah rehabilitation programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released eight cheetahs, including five females and three males from Namibia, into an enclosure in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on the occasion of his 72nd birthday on September 17 last year.
At present officials said that eight leopards in Kuno are killing one prey every three-four days and are healthy. One of the cheetahs was unwell as its creatinine level had increased. He said she has recovered after treatment.Let us tell you that India and South Africa had signed a memorandum of understanding in January to transport cheetahs from the African country and reintroduce them in Kuno.
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. The main reason for which is excessive hunting and lack of habitat. Whereas, the last cheetah died in 1948 in the Sal forests of Chhattisgarh’s Koriya district.
The environment ministry said that after importing 12 cheetahs in February, the plan is to move 12 more annually for the next 8 to 10 years. The terms of the MoU will be reviewed every five years to ensure their relevance.
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.
