8 Namibian cheetahs coming to India on PM Narendra Modi's birthday - 10 points

The government of India declared the cheetah extinct in the country in 1952. The government has been trying to re-establish the species in its historical ranges in the country. India has signed a pact with Namibia to this effect.

Pic: Pixabay

New Delhi: The Cheetah Reintroduction Project, which aims to restore the population of cheetahs in the country, will formally take off on  Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 72nd birthday - September 17, 2022. The last spotted feline died in 1948 in the Sal forests of Chhattisgarh's Koriya district. Starting in the 1970s, the efforts of the Indian government to re-establish the species in its historical ranges in the country led to the signing of a pact with Namibia, which donated the first eight individuals to launch the Cheetah reintroduction programme on July 20 this year.

Here are 10 important facts about cheetahs: 

1) Eight cheetahs, five female and three male will be brought to Jaipur in Rajasthan on September 17

2) A specially customised B747 jumbo jet is going to bring the cheetahs as part of an inter-continental translocation project.

3) They will then be flown from Jaipur to their new home - Kuno National Park in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh - in helicopters.

4) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release these cheetahs into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on his birthday on September 17.

5) Cheetah will have to spend their entire air transit period empty stomach, a senior Indian forest department official said, reported PTI.This is done because long journeys can create nausea-like feelings in animals leading to other health complications.

6) The aircraft bringing the cheetahs to India has been modified to allow cages to be secured in the main cabin but will still allow vets to have full access to the cats during the flight.

7) The aircraft in which the cheetahs are travelling has been painted with the image of a tiger. 

High Commission of India in Windhoek, Namibia tweets the visual of the Indian aircraft which has reached Namibia to receive cheetahs to be brought to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park. PM Narendra Modi will be present in the park on Sept 17 for the reintroduction. pic.twitter.com/jl3Rk4bigS — ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2022

8) The aircraft is an ultra-long range jet capable of flying for up to 16 hours and so can fly directly from Namibia to India without a stop to refuel, an important consideration for the well-being of the cheetahs.

9) The government of India declared the cheetah extinct in the country in 1952.

10) Under the Species Recovery Program of the Government of India, species that become extinct are restored in their historic natural habitat.