Cheetah to Set Foot on Indian Soil Again After 70 Years

Extinct since 1952... 8 Brought from Namibia
12 More to Arrive from South Africa Next Month

On the 17th (local time), eight cheetahs airlifted from Namibia, Africa, arrived in India. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung]

The cheetah, which had disappeared from India due to extinction, has returned after 70 years.

According to Indian media such as NDTV and foreign news outlets, on the 17th (local time), eight cheetahs airlifted from Namibia, Africa, arrived in India and were transferred to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, central India.

The Namibian cheetahs consist of five females and three males, aged between 2 and 5.5 years. The average lifespan of a cheetah is about 16 years.

Cheetahs once inhabited areas from sub-Saharan Africa and Syria and Arabia to northern India, but in India, they became extinct in 1952 due to habitat loss and overhunting.

India's "Cheetah Reintroduction" was carried out under government leadership.

According to the Indian government, this is the first time cheetahs have been relocated from one continent to another for the restoration of wild ecosystems.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "It is regrettable that constructive efforts to bring cheetahs back to India have not been made for decades," adding, "We will strive to make Kuno National Park a home for cheetahs."

On the day of his 72nd birthday, Prime Minister Modi personally released two cheetahs into the enclosure and took commemorative photos.

Kuno National Park, where the eight cheetahs will live, is a large wildlife sanctuary covering 750 km², suitable for cheetahs that can run at speeds of up to 113 km/h.

Each cheetah is equipped with a satellite tracking device and will undergo an acclimatization period within the enclosure for about a month before being released into the wild.

Additionally, next month, 12 cheetahs from South Africa are scheduled to be relocated to India.

Vincent van der Merwe of the South African cheetah conservation organization said, "To establish a self-sustaining cheetah population in India, at least 500 individuals are needed, so we plan to send 8 to 12 cheetahs annually."

Cheetahs are listed as "Vulnerable" globally on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, and as "Critically Endangered" in North Africa and Asia. However, in South Africa, the cheetah population is reportedly increasing by 8% annually.

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised that the cheetahs' life in India may not be easy.

Some say cheetahs may struggle to adapt to the changed habitat, and others point out the challenge of competing for survival with top predators such as leopards.

In response, Laurie Marker, founder of the Namibia Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), said, "I am not worried because cheetahs have excellent adaptability to new environments."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.