Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Almost 70 years after the cheetah was declared extinct in India, a batch of the big cats will make their way into the country from South Africa this year.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has given its consent to import cheetahs from South Africa and introduce them to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary. It has directed the forest department to build special enclosures at Kuno by August. The first batch of cheetahs will arrive in India by the end of November.
After 73 years
A picture of Sarguja Maharaj Ramanusharan Singh with cheetahs clicked in 1947 is believed to be the last recorded set of cheetahs in India. In 1952, the cheetah was declared extinct in the country.
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In the first phase, 14 cheetahs will be brought from the African country at a cost of Rs 14 crore.
The Government of India had planned to re-introduce cheetahs to India in 2010. However, the ambitious project was stayed by the judiciary honouring a petition.
As the hearing into the case completed in January 2020, the Supreme Court gave its approval to import the big cats and handed over the task of monitoring the process to an Empowered Committee.
Experts from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, have already zeroed in on Kuno as the most suitable place for the introduction of cheetahs. Experts from South Africa, who stayed in Kuno for a couple of days, have also expressed satisfaction.
