Twelve cheetahs will be flown in from South Africa on February 18, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Thursday.
On Thursday morning, an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft departed the nation to transport 12 cheetahs from South Africa. Ten isolation cages have been built for these cats in Kuno National Park.
National Tiger Conservation Authority head S P Yadav said, “Seven male and five female cheetahs will embark on the journey to Kuno from O. R. Tambo International Airport, Gauteng, South Africa Friday evening.”
The cheetahs will arrive at the Gwalior Air Force base in Madhya Pradesh at 10 am on Saturday and they will be then taken in IAF’s MI-17 helicopters.
India and South Africa had in January signed an MoU to transport cheetahs from the African country and reintroduce them in Kuno.
According to the ‘Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah in India’ prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India, around 12-14 wild cheetahs that are ideal for establishing a new cheetah population would be imported from South Africa, Namibia and other African countries as a founder stock for five years initially and then as required by the programme.
“Following the import of 12 cheetahs in February, the plan is to translocate further 12 cheetahs annually for the next eight to 10 years. The terms of the MoU will be reviewed every five years to ensure it remains relevant,” the environment ministry said.
