New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday said that 12 more cheetahs will be brought from South Africa on February 18.
The first batch of eight cheetahs was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the Cheetah reintroduction programme at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on September 17 last year. The big cats-five females and three males were brought from Namibia.
According to official sources, the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia are healthy and are hunting pray at an interval of three to four days. They further revealed that one of the cheetahs recently fell ill as its creatinine levels suddenly increased adding that the feline has recovered following treatment.
The MoU to bring the cheetahs to India was signed by India and South Africa in January. Currently, a large section of the world's 7,000 cheetahs is found in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia, with Namibia having the biggest cheetah population.
Cheetahs in India went extinct due to excessive hunting and loss of habitat and the last of the speedy big cats died in 1948 in the Koriya district's Sal forests in Chhattisgarh in 1948.
Officials said after the scheduled relocation of 12 cheetahs from South Africa in February, the government is planning to bring 12 more every year for the next 10 years. According to the Union Environment Ministry, the MoU will be reviewed annually to ensure that it remains relevant.
The DG Wildlife SP Yadav said that the C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the IAF took off from the Hindonm Airbase for South Africa to bring 12 cheetahs to India adding that the AIF was not charging any amount for the work. He also said that the big cats will be released in Kuno National Park by the Union Environment Minister on February 18.
