New Delhi: Wildlife experts and lovers can’t wait for eight African cheetahs to roam Indian forests after a gap of seven decades.
The first look of cheetahs which will be flown to India from Namibia on Saturday was released in a video shared by ANI. Three of the eight big cats are seen roaming in an open field before they embark on a long journey across continents.
#WATCH | First look of Cheetahs that will be brought from Namibia to India on 17th September at KUNO National Park, in Madhya Pradesh pic.twitter.com/HOjexYWtE6
— ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2022
A special jumbo jet landed in Namibian capital Windhoek on Thursday to bring the cheetahs to india.
The B-747 aircraft, painted with the face of a tiger, will fly directly to India without refuelling. The aircraft will land at Gwalior, instead of Jaipur as previously announced, from where the animals will be transported to Kuno National Park in MP, where they will be released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mark his birthday.
Cheetah Project Chief and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) member secretary SP Yadav informed that the PM will release two cheetahs from enclosure No. 1 and another one from the second enclosure, about 70 meters away. The remaining five big cats will be released in the quarantine areas made for them.
“Radio collar has been installed in all the cheetahs and will be monitored through satellite. Apart from this, there will be a dedicated monitoring team behind each cheetah who will keep monitoring location for 24 hours,” Yadav said.