India will be home to the world’s fastest land animal again after the feline was declared extinct in the country in 1952. Five female and three male cheetahs are all set to reach Kuno-Palpur National Park on 17 September as part of the reintroduction programme
The eight Namibian cheetahs will reach Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on 17 September. News18
Two siblings and two friends are among the eight cheetahs that will travel to India from Namibia as part of the first-of-its-kind transcontinental mission.
These cheetahs – five female and three male – will embark on an overnight journey in a customised Boeing 747-400 aircraft from Namibia’s capital Windhoek.
After reaching Rajasthan capital Jaipur on 17 September, they will be flown to the 748-square-km Kuno-Palpur National Park (KPNP) in Sheopur district, Madhya Pradesh.
Two hours before the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will release these animals into the enclosure on Saturday, the eight cheetahs onboard a helicopter will reach the Madhya Pradesh park.
India will be home to the world’s fastest cat again after the feline was declared extinct in the country in 1952.
As the stage is set for these spotted predators to arrive in the country as a part of cheetah reintroduction programme, let’s get to know these eight animals:
The friends
Among the five female felines, two are ‘best friends’.
One of them was discovered in late 2017 on a farm near Gobabis, Namibia by some workers. The farm workers took care of this skinny and malnourished wild cat and nursed her back to health, as per PTI.
After learning about her in January 2018, the Namibia-based international not-for-profit organisation Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) officials shifted her to the CCF centre.
The other cheetah was also found on a farm in February 2019. She was picked by the staff of the CCF from a farm located in the north-western part of Namibia near Kamanjab village.
Five female wild cats will be coming to India as part of cheetah rehabilitation programme. News18
As per PTI, the duo soon formed a close bond and became “best friends”.
They are mostly found enjoying each other’s company in their enclosure.
ALSO READ: Cheetahs to return to India: When animals were brought back from the brink of extinction
The other females
One of the female cheetahs has been at the CCF centre since September 2020. She was found with her brother- both skinny and malnourished – at a waterhole near Gobabis city in southeastern Namibia.
As per the CCF, their mother probably died in a wildfire a few weeks ago.
Another female cheetah was captured in July 2022 on the CCF’s neighbouring farm, owned by a prominent Namibian businessman.
This other cheetah, which will be finding its place in Kuno-Palpur National Park, was born at Erindi Private Game Reserve in April 2020.
Her mother was a part of the CCF’s cheetah rehabilitation programme and was sent back to the wild over two years ago, as per PTI. One of the male cheetahs was also born at this reserve.
Meet the siblings and the other male cheetah
The CCF first noticed the two brothers in July 2021. They had been living on the CCF’s 58,000-hectare private reserve near Otjiwarongo, PTI reported.
The three male cheetahs are aged between 4.5 years and 5.5 years. News18
Born in March 2018, this cheetah’s birthplace is the same as his mother’s – Erindi Private Game Reserve, protected wildlife and ecological reserve located in central Namibia.
The three male cheetahs are aged between 4.5 years and 5.5 years.
News18 notes that the average life span of a cheetah is around eight to 12 years.
Why is food banned for these wild cats during air travel?
Madhya Pradesh Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) JS Chauhan told PTI that it is mandated that no food will be provided to these cheetahs during the air transit from Namibia to India.
“Such a precaution is needed as long journey may create nausea-like feelings in animals leading to other complications,” he explained.
The felines will be given food in KPNP after their one-hour journey from Jaipur.
What after their arrival?
Modi will release these cheetahs into quarantine in Kuno National Park on 17 September — his birthday.
The wild cats will remain isolated in the enclosures for a month and will be constantly observed.
Each cheetah will be fed two to three kg meat every two to three days, as per Indian Express.
“During their quarantine period, the cheetahs will need not hunt and will be fed buffalo meat. The idea is to ensure that no other animal finds its way inside, allowing the big cats to acclimatise well to the new environs,” a senior forest department official in charge of the preparations at Kuno told Indian Express.
After the quarantine period ends, these cheetahs, all aged between five to six years, will be released into a 550-hectare enclosure that has been split into nine inter-connected compartments.
They will stay in this bigger enclosure for a month where officials will monitor how they are adapting to the new habitat, following which they will be released into the wild in the Kuno National Park.
With inputs from agencies
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.