Project Cheetah: India reintroduces big cats to wild
Decades after extinction, the Cheetahs are welcome on Indian soil after 70 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the cheetahs that were brought from Namibia this morning, at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
Indian Air Force choppers carried the 8 cheetahs from Namibia this morning, to Kuno National Park from Gwalior Air Force Station.
Bhupendra Yadav, Narendra Singh Omar and Jyotiraditya Scindia, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and state forest minister Vijay Shah were also present. Project head Dr. M K Ranjitsinh, V Jhala, dean of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), NTCA Chief S P Yadav and chief of Madhya Pradesh wildlife unit J S Chouhan, Kuno DFO P K Verma, SDO Amritanshu Singh among others who had played a crucial role in this project were also inside the park.
Nearly eight decades after the last cheetah was hunted to extinction in India, its cousins from Africa are now here to restore the spots of glory. It’s very rare for an extinct species in one part of the world to be populated by a lot from another- that too an apex predator.
The introduction of the fastest land animal in India is being done under Project Cheetah, which is the world’s first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project, said a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Thursday.
The statement read, “The release of wild Cheetahs by the Prime Minister in Kuno National Park is part of his efforts to revitalize and diversify India’s wildlife and its habitat. The cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952. The Cheetahs that would be released are from Namibia and have been brought under an MoU signed earlier this year. The introduction of Cheetah in India is being done under Project Cheetah, which is the world’s first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.”
“Cheetahs will help in the restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystems in India. This will help conserve biodiversity and enhance the ecosystem services like water security, carbon sequestration, and soil moisture conservation, benefiting society at large. This effort, in line with the Prime Minister’s commitment towards environment protection and wildlife conservation, will also lead to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community through eco-development and ecotourism activities,” the release said.
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When will INdians get relief from the politicians & unknown constitution.
Could someone release us Indians from the enormous problems and stress being faced.