What is happening?
India and South Africa have signed an agreement to transfer 12 cheetahs from South Africa to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in February 2023. Earlier, in September 2022, 8 cheetahs from Namibia were also transferred to this national park.
Cheetahs were once found in India, but they went extinct in the 1950s as a result of overhunting and habitat loss. So, the government started “Project Cheetah” to reintroduce the creatures into the country.
What is the Project Cheetah plan?
In 2020, the Supreme Court of India approved "Project Cheetah." Later, Namibia gave eight cheetahs to India, making this the first time a southern African cheetah was introduced into India or anywhere else on the earth.
The project's main aim is to create a healthy cheetah population in India. Under this project, 50 cheetahs will be brought into several national parks over five years.
How are the cheetahs released earlier doing?
Months after the previous transfer, 5 of the cheetahs began hunting on their own and had mostly adjusted to their new surroundings (just like how you adjusted to your school after attending it for a few days). However, one of the cheetahs has been suffering from kidney disease. But, there is good news, it is recovering (yay!).
Cheetahs can be found in southern and eastern Africa, mainly in Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, and Tanzania. Once upon a time, they used to roam the Middle East, central India, and most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Due to population decline, there are now fewer than 7,000 cheetahs living in the wild.
What did we learn from this article?
We learned about India's efforts to reintroduce cheetahs to the country after they became extinct in the region years ago. Cheetahs are important to the environment because they help control other animal populations. Their conservation also helps in the protection of biodiversity for future generations.
So, let us hope that all countries around the world work together to raise and save the world's cheetah population and that the Indian government’s 'Project Cheetah' is a success.
