Madhya Pradesh: Twelve more cheetahs will soon be making their way to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
The South African government inked an MOU for the translocation of 12 cheetahs on Wednesday, with the big cats slated to arrive by February-March. With this, the total number of cheetahs in India will rise to 20. Eight cheetahs from Namibia were released into the park in September 2022, as part of an ambitious project to revive India's extinct population. Discussions with South Africa had been going on for quite some time now, reaching an ‘advanced stage’ in early January.
Earlier this month, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said that the Kuno National Park would soon open for tourists. At the time, he had also noted that “more cheetahs are coming from South Africa". "I will call you to see the cheetahs in February. We are allowing tourists' visits from February," the Prime Minister said while addressing the valedictory function of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Indore.
There will be seven males and five females among the 12 cheetahs. For the past six months, they have been quarantined in South Africa.
According to India's reintroduction action plan, 12-14 wild cheetahs (8-10 males and 4-6 females) suitable for establishing a new cheetah population would be imported from South Africa, Namibia, and other African countries as a founder stock for the first five years and then as needed by the programme.
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