Arrival Of 12 South African Cheetahs In India Delayed

New Delhi: Twelve cheetahs that have been quarantined in South Africa for more than four months while waiting to be translocated to India as part of Project Cheetah may be losing fitness from the extended time of inactivity, reckon wildlife experts.

The delay in the official signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and South Africa to transport the cheetahs to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP) is the reason for the protracted quarantine.

According to reports, India’s plan to relocate cheetahs was approved last week by Barbara Creecy, the South African minister of environment, forestry, and fisheries. The idea for a formal agreement between the two nations will now be approved by the president of South Africa.

In the world’s largest conservation effort, which aims to establish a free-ranging population of the species 72 years after it was declared extinct in India, India got eight cheetahs from Namibia in September. However, the idea has caused controversy and division among conservationists worldwide.

South Africa is yet to formally sign the agreement, despite India’s announcement last year that it will source cheetahs from both Namibia & South Africa. Between September 6 and 8, the South African government dispatched a team of experts to investigate Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, the location of the release of the Namibian cheetahs. According to reports, the committee’s findings were submitted to the South African government and were accepted positively.