12 cheetahs from South Africa welcomed in India, released in Kuno National Park: A 10-point wrap
Cheetahs in India
In another significant step towards the reintroduction of big cats in India, 12 cheetahs were welcomed from South Africa on Saturday (February18) and were released in the Kuno national park in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The cheetahsarrived on a C-17 Globe Master Cargo Plane of the Indian Air Force (IAF). This comes months after eight big cats were transported from Nigeria as part of the intergovernmental agreement, which marked the return of the animals in India seven decades after their extinction.
“All the 12cheetahs are healthy, active, alert and absolutely normal. They all have been released to their captivity. It's good news, this task was completed without hindrances,” said Cheetah Project Chief SP Yadav.
Here are the top points of the story:
1) The second batch of 12 cheetahs landed in the Gwalior city of Madhya Pradesh after a 10-hour voyage that began from Johannesburg in South Africa on Friday, officials said, adding that their final destination is thesprawling Kuno National Park in central India.
2) Hailing the arrival of the big cats, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters on Saturday morning: "Today, we have good news. I want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi; it's because of his vision that cheetahs are getting reintroduced in India. Now, we will have 20 big cats."
3) In September last year, PM Modi released eight big cats in the Kuno National Parkon his birthday, seven decades after India registered the extinction of the cheetahs.
4) In the fresh batch, 7 males and 5 females are the first of dozens that South Africa has promised India over the next decade.
5) The cheetahs were sedated and loaded into cratesand then they began their voyage from Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport on Friday.
6) "The 8 cheetahs who came to India in September 2022, under the ambitious and visionary planning of PM Shri @narendramodi ji, have adapted well. India is now ready to welcome 12 more cheetahs from South Africa," India's Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav tweeted on Thursday (February 16).
7) India has planned to transport 12 big cats annually over the next eight to 10 years from the two African nations.
8) In 1952, India saw the extinction of cheetahs because of the loss of habitat.
9) Across most countries in the world, thepopulation of cheetahs is on a decline. There are less than 7,000 cheetahs globally, according to a report by the news agency AP.
10) Climate change and loss of habitat are believed to be the primary reasons behind the worrying trend.
(With agency inputs)
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