12 cheetahs to be translocated to India; expected to reach by Dec 15

Prakash Verma, DFO of Kuno National Park, told ETV Bharat that South African Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Barbara Creecy last week cleared the Indian proposal on the translocation of cheetahs.

Sheopur (MP):After eight cheetahs from Namibia were brought to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park in September 2022, a dozen cheetahs are planned to be sent to India, and those cheetahs are quarantined in South Africa for more than four months. Prakash Verma, DFO of Kuno National Park, told ETV Bharat that South African Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Barbara Creecy last week cleared the Indian proposal on the translocation of cheetahs.

The MoU is now sent to the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa for approval. The paperwork is expected to be completed soon and the cheetahs are expected to be brought to India by December 15. Meanwhile, wildlife experts said that the prolonged quarantine is taking a toll on the health of these big cats, which are slated to join the eight cheetahs imported from Namibia and released in KNP in Sheopur district in mid-September. In fact, the 12 South African cheetahs seven males and five females - have not hunted for themselves even once after being kept in bomas (small enclosures), said wildlife experts in the know of India's cheetah reintroduction plan.

Though there has been some forward movement in the implementation of Project Cheetah with South Africa in recent days, Pretoria is yet to ink a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian government for the transfer of the spotted cats to KNP. Three of them have been kept in Phinda quarantine boma in KwaZulu-Natal Province and nine in Rooiberg Quarantine boma in Limpopo Province since July 15, said the experts. They might have put on weight like humans sitting idle, he said, adding a running animal has toned up muscles and fitness.