India and Namibia agreed to a deal on Wednesday to import cheetahs, with the first group of eight wild cats expected to arrive in India next month, according to officials.
Since the Supreme Court permitted the experimental introduction of African cheetahs in a “carefully designated place” in 2020, India has been striving to relocate the animals.
Asiatic cheetahs were once present in India, but the species was formally declared extinct there in 1952.
A wildlife sanctuary in the central state of Madhya Pradesh will receive Namibian African cheetahs as part of a contract signed on Wednesday.
The move is anticipated to take place in conjunction with India’s 75th Independence Day celebrations.
“Ending India’s wonderful 75 years of independence with the reintroduction of the cheetah, the fastest terrestrial flagship animal, would revive the natural dynamics of the terrain,”
Bhupender Yadav, India’s environment minister, tweeted.
Indian “AFRICAN CHEETAHS”
“Cheetah restoration would also significantly improve long-term possibilities for ecotourism in local community livelihoods.”
The agreement, which was signed in New Delhi with Namibia’s deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, also calls for cooperation between the two nations in the management of trash, wildlife, and climate change.
Due to its plentiful prey population and grasslands that were deemed suitable for the cats, the Kuno-Palpur National Park in the state of Madhya Pradesh was chosen as the cheetahs’ new home.
“The fundamental objective of the cheetah reintroduction project is to create a healthy metapopulation of cheetahs in India that will enable the cheetah to carry out its essential job as a top predator”.
In a statement, the environment ministry said.
Extinction in India
The cheetah is the only large carnivore thought to have vanished from India, mostly as a result of habitat degradation and hunting for its distinctive, spotted coat.
The last three known cheetahs in India were reportedly slain by Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo in the late 1940s.
In addition, India intends to import some cheetahs from South Africa, though no official agreement has yet been made.
The cheetah, which is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is predominantly found in African savannas and has a dwindling population of less than 7,000.