12 Cheetahs Arrive in MP`s Gwalior From Africa`s Namibia

IAF`s C-17 Globemaster aircraft arrived in India from South Africa with 12 cheetahs of which seven are males and five are females.

Bhopal: The Second batch of cheetahs arrived in India from South Africa on Saturday (February 18). Indian Air Force’s (IAF) C-17 Globemaster aircraft landed in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior with seven male and five female cheetahs at around 10 am at the Gwalior air base. The twelve cheetahs will now be taken to Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district for release into quarantine enclosures. 

The newly arrived cheetahs from Namibia will be released into the KNP by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union minister Bhupender Yadav. 

Earlier last year, first set of eight from Namibia having been released on September 17 at a function by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From Gwalior, they will be flown to the KNP around 12 noon in an IAF helicopter. They will be put into quarantine bomas (enclosures) after half an hour (12.30 pm), an expert had said.

The intercontinental translocation of these fastest land animals - first from Namibia and now from South Africa - is part of the Indian government's ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme.