New Delhi, Nov 14: Kenya will present a few cheetahs to India where the animal has long been an endangered species. In exchange, India will gift an equal number of tigers to Kenya.
An agreement in this regard was reached during a meeting between union Environment and Forests Minister T R Baalu and his Kenyan counterpart Dr Newton W Kulundu in Nairobi today, official sources said here.
While India has an estimated tiger population of 2500, it does not have cheetah population.
Sources said India has agreed to help Kenya in various sectors relating to environment, including forest survey and coastal and marine environment management. India's assistance was sought in the context of its achievement in increasing the forest cover in the last few years. Kenya has only one per cent forest cover and Dr Kulundu wanted India's help to increase it to eight per cent in five years.
Baalu invited a team of Kenyan experts to visit India and study the appropriate methodology and technique being used by the Forest Survey of India.
Baalu is leading a high-level delegation to Kenya to participate in the 15th meeting of parties (mop) to the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer. Delegates from 185-member countries are participating in the five-day meeting which began in Nairobi on November 10.
Bureau Report