PM Modi to release 8 cheetahs from Namibia into Kuno
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to reintroduce the world's fastest cats in India on his birthday on September 17.
PM Modi is going to release eight cheetahs brought from Africa's Namibia into Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park.
The species, declared extinct by India in 1952, disappeared from the country due to habitat loss and overhunting.
Here's everything you should know.
Mission
Five female and three male cheetahs will be brought
In the 1970s, the Indian government planned to re-establish the species in India's historical ranges which led to the signing of a pact with Namibia.
The pact involved a Cheetah reintroduction program.
As part of the first-of-its-kind transcontinental mission, five female and three male cheetahs will be brought to India in a customized Boeing 747-400 aircraft from Namibia's capital Windhoek on September 16.
Journey
How will be the animals kept on flight?
According to The Indian Express reports, the radio-collared animals will be kept in cages measuring 114 cm X 118 cm X 84 cm.
They will be well-fed for two-three days before the journey and there will be three veterinarians from Namibia, South Africa, and India on the flight.
The flight will travel overnight and will land in Rajasthan's Jaipur on September 17 morning.
Information
Know about the Nambibian cheetahs
According to the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), an international not-for-profit organization based in Namibia, the three male cheetahs are aged between 4.5 to 5.5 years and the five female cheetahs are aged between two to five years.
Male cheetahs
How were the male cheetahs found?
The male cheetahs include two brothers who have been residing on the 58,000 hectares of private CCF Reserve near Otjiwarongo, Namibia since July 2021.
The CCF staff first noticed their tracks around the Center. Another male cub was born at the Erindi Private Game Reserve in 2018.
Among the eight cheetahs, the first female was found at a waterhole near Gobabis in southeastern Namibia.
Discovery
How were the female cheetahs discovered?
The first female cheetah has been living at the CCF center since September 2020.
In July 2022, another female cheetah was captured in a trap cage on the CCF's neighboring farm.
Another female was born in April 2020 at Erindi Game Reserve.
The fourth female cheetah was found on a farm near Gobabis, Namibia, in late 2017 by farm workers.
Information
The fifth female cheetah was picked from northwestern Namibia
In February 2019, another female was picked up by the CCF staff from northwestern Namibia near Kamanjab village, and since arriving at the CCF center, she has become best friends with the fourth female cheetah. The two prefer staying together in their enclosure.
Future plans
Government plans to reintroduce 50 cheetahs in India
At the Kuno National Park, the Prime Minister is expected to release the cheetahs to smaller quarantine rooms where they will be kept for around 30 days.
After this, they will be released in a predator-resistant facility of six square kilometers with nine compartments.
According to reports, the government has plans to reintroduce 50 cheetahs in India over the next five years.