Source : INDIATV NEWS
Project Cheetah: In the year 2022, India brought eight cheetahs, including five females and three males, from Namibia, while in 2023, 12 came from South Africa. Currently, there are 26 cheetahs, including 16 in the open forest and 10 in the rehabilitation centre, including 14 India-born cubs.
India will bring eight cheetahs from Botswana in southern Africa in two phases, including four by May, according to officials. The information about cheetahs to be brought was given by officials of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), who participated in a review meeting of the cheetah project in Bhopal on Friday in the presence of Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, a release from the Madhya Pradesh government said.
The NTCA officials revealed that more than Rs 112 crore has been spent on the cheetah project across the country so far, with 67 per cent of the total expenditure going into cheetah rehabilitation in Madhya Pradesh, the release stated.
More cheetahs to be brought to India
Efforts are underway to bring more cheetahs from South Africa, Botswana, and Kenya to India. Eight cheetahs will be brought to India in two phases. There is a plan to bring four cheetahs from Botswana to India by May. After this, four more cheetahs will be brought. At present, consent is being developed on an agreement between India and Kenya,” the release quoted NTCA officials as saying.
Under Project Cheetah, cheetahs will be relocated in a phased manner in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, which is adjacent to the border of Rajasthan. Therefore, an in-principle agreement has been reached between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to establish an interstate cheetah conservation area.
Tracing progress in India’s ‘Project Cheetah’
Eight cheetahs, comprising five females and three males, brought from Namibia, were released in KNP on September 17, 2022, marking the first-ever intercontinental translocation of the big cats.
In February 2023, 12 more cheetahs were translocated from South Africa to KNP. In total, the Kuno National Park has 26 cheetahs, including 14 India-born cubs.
Update on Kuno National Park’s cheetahs
Giving an update about the cheetahs in the Kuno National Park, forest officials reported that there are 26 cheetahs, including 16 in the open forest and 10 in the rehabilitation centre (enclosures).
The official added that 24-hour tracking takes place using satellite collar IDs to monitor the cheetahs.
(With inputs from PTI)
