Guwahati: Cheetahs will soon return to India after 70 years, perhaps by Independence Day.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) provided by the Indian government was signed on Wednesday by the Namibian government, removing a significant obstacle in the world’s first trans-continental cheetah translocation.
According to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) chief SP Yadav, a similar MoU with South Africa will be finished within a week.
In the first batch, eight cheetahs will be transported to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the Sheopur area.
Cheetahs will be released into their enclosures to acclimate before being freed. In settlements near the forest, thousands of stray dogs have received vaccinations.
The cheetahs that will be relocated have been located, immunised, and moved to a quarantine facility in Namibia. After signing the Memorandum of Understanding, we are choosing the route of transportation. Many businesses have made their services available. “A team from India, including a veterinarian, will travel to Namibia to help with the proceedings,” Yadav said, adding that although the exact date has not been set, cheetahs may travel to India in August.
According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would probably make the announcement during his Independence Day speech from Red Fort.
According to sources, a plane transporting the priceless cargo may land at an IAF airport. According to Yadav, plans are in the works to fly the cheetahs directly to Kuno, where they will be confined for 30 days while being tracked and radio-collared. According to him, as quoted by TOI, “The cheetahs will be placed in enclosures once they adjust to the area.”
On June 15, a team of cheetah donors from Namibia and South Africa visited Kuno to assess the situation and were “extremely satisfied,” according to sources.
Union minister for environment, forest and climate change, Bhupender Yadav, in a tweet said, “Happy to share that India has signed a historic MoU with Namibia to promote wildlife conservation and sustainable biodiversity utilization. The MoU seeks to promote conservation and restoration of cheetahs in their former range from which the species went extinct.”
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted that it’s a moment of pride for MP. “The cheetah reintroduction project will restore historic evolutionary balance and contribute to global conservation efforts,” he said.