New Delhi: The charismatic Cheetah will soon return to India's jungles, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Wednesday. The Centre on Wednesday launched an action plan under which 50 Cheetahs would be introduced in the next five years.
On Wednesday, Yadav had presented the Water Source Atlas of Tiger Reserves in India, as well as the action plan for the introduction of Cheetahs in India.
Taking to Twitter, Union Minister Yadav said, “The original threats that resulted in the extinction of the cheetah have been abated and India will soon have the charismatic species back."
"The cheetah that became extinct in independent India, is all set to return. Launched an action plan for the reintroduction of cheetah in India at the 19th meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority," Yadav further said.
As per the action plan, a cohort of around 10-12 young Cheetahs that are ideal for reintroduction shall be imported from Namibia or South Africa, PTI reported.
According to officials, the reintroduction of cheetahs, which is expected to take place in the Kuno National Park in Sheopur and Morena districts of Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior-Chambal region, is the world's first inter-continental cheetah translocation project, 69 years after the animal was officially declared extinct in India.