12 more cheetahs arrive at Kuno national park

NEW DELHI: In an unprecedented move to revive the extinct run, the central government brought 12 more cheetahs from South Africa here on Saturday. The special flight carrying the 12 cheetahs touched down in Gwalior at 10 am in the morning. The large wild cats are now being moved to Kuno national park in Madhya Pradesh.

The list includes seven male cheetahs and five female ones. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and union minister of labor and environment Bhupendra Yadav will open the cheetahs to the Kuno national park. Quarantine cages are being set up as it is the norm for any animal coming from offshore to stay isolated for at least 30 days to acclimatize to the new environment.

For the first time in history, South Africa will be translocating 12 cheetahs to India as part of an initiative to expand the cheetah meta-population & to reintroduce the mammals in the country.#SACheetahstoIndia pic.twitter.com/HvKpEHUDBa

— Environmentza (@environmentza) February 17, 2023

The last cheetah in India died back in 1947. In 1952, the country confirmed about the species going extinct. in 2020, the Modi government reinvigorated plans and received the approval of the supreme court in bringing the large wild cats to India. Last year, PM Narendra Modi unleashed the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia to the Kuno national park in a historical move.