In India, Namibian cheetahs reintroduced by the will of the Prime Minister

It is a national event in India. The Prime Minister has released a cheetah into its new environment, in Kuno National Park, a huge protected site south of New Delhi, the capital. It was the start of an ambitious reintroduction program: the breed disappeared from India in 1952. These cheetahs come from Namibia, a country in southern Africa which is home to half of the 7,000 specimens listed in the world. They are mainly found in sanctuaries of several hundred hectares.

Among these cheetahs of the Namibian savannah, some have been selected. They were put in a cage, then transferred in containers for India, by plane. It is a gift from Namibia to India. In the last century, Indian cheetahs were hunted for their fur. Deforestation has accelerated their disappearance. The program plans to reintroduce 70 in this park. But the cheetahs might have a hard time acclimatizing.