The second batch of twelve cheetahs from South Africa has now been released in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park on Saturday. Union ministers Bhupender Yadav, Narendra Singh Tomar and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the cheetahs brought from South Africa to their new home Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. in the Kuno National Park.
Indian Air Force's Mi-17 helicopters carrying the second batch of 12 Cheetahs landed at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
An IAF C-17 aircraft carrying the second batch of 12 Cheetahs landed at Air Force Station Gwalior earlier in the day, after a 10-hour flight from Johannesburg, South Africa. These Cheetahs were then airlifted in IAF helicopters for Kuno National Park.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan earlier told ANI, "In Kuno National Park today, the number of Cheetahs is going to increase. I thank PM Modi from the bottom of my heart, it is his vision. 12 Cheetahs will be rehabilitated to Kuno & total number will become 20."
According to PTI, these cheetahs - seven males and five females - comprise the second set of big cats coming to the state, with the first group of eight from Namibia having been released into the KNP on September 17 last year at a function by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 72nd birthday.
With the addition of these 12 members, the count of cheetahs at the Kuno National Park has gone up to 20.
"The cheetahs from South Africa have been quarantined," Kuno Divisional Forest Officer P K Verma told PTI from the spot.
These animals had embarked on a journey to their new home thousands of miles away aboard an IAF transport aircraft from the O R Tambo International Airport, Gauteng in South Africa shortly before midnight, a project participant and expert said earlier.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) head S P Yadav and the Cheetah Project Chief SP Yadav told ANI, that these felines will be kept in quarantine bomas (enclosures) for 30 days as per international protocol, if they have acclimated they will be then released in a larger enclosure where they can hunt for prey.
SP Yadav said that after bringing Cheetahs to Kuno National Park from South Africa all of their health will be tested and then they will be kept in quarantine for a Month. For this 10 quarantine boomers have been made which will be kept. Two Cheetahs each stay in two enclosures and the rest of the other cheetahs will be kept in separate quarantine boomers
SP Yadav said, "The cheetahs coming from two different reserves are kept in crates made according to international standards. Our experience of bringing cheetahs from Namibia helps a lot that's why the whole exercise is going very smoothly."
When asked about the distinctions between the South African and Namibian cheetahs, Yadav responded that there is no distinction between the two species, but that the South African cheetahs belong completely to the wild and have a wild character.
A majority of the world's 7,000 cheetahs live in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Namibia has the world's largest population of cheetahs.
The reintroduction of cheetahs under the Project Cheetah initiative of the Indian Government is in accordance with IUCN guidelines. India has a long history of wildlife conservation. Project Tiger, one of the most effective initiatives to conserve wildlife, was started back in 1972 and has helped to preserve not just tigers but also the entire ecosystem.
The Maharaja of Korea chased the last three cheetahs in Chhattisgarh in 1947–1948 and killed them. The Indian government declared the extinction of cheetahs in 1952.