Declared extinct, seventy years ago, Indian jungles will again see the cheetahs roam around in the wilderness on 17th September. India had made a commitment to bring back cheetahs in 1962 when they became extinct.
India kept up its endeavour and in 2009, put forward the concept of Cheetah Conservation Fund or CFF conceptualised by doctors Laurie Marker, Bruce Brewer and Stephen J O’Brien who were visiting India for consultative meetings with the government of India. CFF is a non-profit organisation based in Nambia and works towards saving and rehabilitating cheetahs.
Dr Marker returned to India many times in the last 12 years to conduct site assessments and draft plans for the introduction. Finally, in January 2020, as a pilot program to reintroduce cheetahs in India, the Supreme Court of India approved Project Cheetah.
The Republic of Nambia and India signed MOUs around the conservation of cheetahs in July 2020. To begin this project, the government of Nambia agreed to donate first eight cheetahs. In a first of its type, the Southern African Cheetah will come to India or Asia from another continent.
All the eight cheetahs have been vaccinated, fitted with a satellite collar and kept in isolation at the CFF centre in Nambia. They are selected on the basis of their wild disposition, hunting skills, health and ability to contribute genetics that will give a further strong foundation to the population of cheetahs.
The Boeing 747 Jumbo jet sourced by Action Aviation, an aircraft brokerage company will fly these cheetahs to India. It is capable of flying up to 16 hours and can hence come non-stop from Nambia to India.
The B-747 is a passenger jet but has been modified to bring the cheetahs. The main cabin has been modified to allow the cages to be secured but will allow vets to have full access to the felines. The jet will fly overnight so that the big cats can travel during the coolest hours.
Of the 8 cheetahs coming to India, 5 are females and 3 are males and are aged between 2 and 5 years and 4.5 to 5.5 years respectively.
The first cheetah aged two and its brother were found at a waterhole near the city of Gobabis in south-eastern Nambia. They were probably orphaned in a wild fire some weeks before they were found and were in poor health. They have been living in the CFF centre since September 2020 when they were found by the CFF.
The second female cheetah was captured from a farm near CFF centre in July 2020. The third female was born of a cheetah who was released into wilderness by CFF after rehabilitation.
The fourth cheetah was found by farm workers in a malnourished state and was then taken to rehabilitation in CFF in January 2018. The fifth cheetah was picked up from near a farm in north-western Nambia.
The cheetahs will arrive in Jaipur and then be transferred by helicopter to Kuno National Park. They will be welcomed by a delegation led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17th September.
