There are less than 7,000 cheetahs left in the world
New Delhi:
Eight cheetahs from Namibia have arrived in their new home, Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, where they were introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of a program to reintroduce the cat in India.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today released three cheetahs into Kuno National Park. Wearing a fedora hat, the Prime Minister was also seen photographing the cats with a professional camera. He released two leopards from the first encirclement and then, about 70 meters away, from the second encirclement released another.
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Radio collars have been strapped on all cheetahs to be tracked via satellite. There is a dedicated surveillance team behind each cheetah that will monitor their movements around the clock.
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The plane carrying the cheetahs arrived at Gwalior’s Maharajpura Airbase, operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF), shortly before 8am. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia oversaw the arrangement as the cheetahs were transported to an air force helicopter that took them to Kuno National Park.
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“The jaguars have arrived in their new home – KUNO – the heavenly habitat for our cats,” the minister tweeted, sharing images from the airbase. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is celebrating his birthday today, will release the feral cats in the quarantined areas of the park.
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There is no greater gift for Madhya Pradesh than this on the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of the state. Shivraj Singh Chouhan said this morning, calling the ‘historic’ ferry of feral cats from Namibia to Kuno National Park the biggest wildlife incident of the century. This, he said, will accelerate the tourism industry in the state, especially in the Kuno-Palpur region.
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Dr Laurie Marker, the world’s leading cheetah expert, who was on the plane with the big cats, said: “The cats are being given very mild sedation, but they are not sedated at all. . They look great.”
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According to the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), an international non-profit organization based in Namibia and dedicated to saving the fastest land animals, the five female cheetahs range in age from 2 to 5 years old, while the others are between the ages of 2 and 5. males from 4.5 years old. and 5.5 years.
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India was in the past home to the Asian leopard, but the species was declared extinct in the country in 1952. These big cats are being brought to India from Namibia as part of a transposition project. cross-country.
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The national park is located in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh, about 165 km from Gwalior. Kuno Park was chosen as a shelter because of its abundance of prey and grasslands. But critics warn that cheetahs can have trouble adapting to their habitat and could clash with the significant numbers of leopards currently available.
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The ‘African Leopard Introduction Project in India’ conceived in 2009 and a planned introduction of the big cat last November at the KNP were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. . Considered Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, there are now less than 7,000 cheetah species left around the world – mainly in the African savannahs.
