Cheetahs brought from Namibia are healthy and adjusting well: PM Modi shares update

(Image credit: Screengrab from video tweeted by @narendramodi)

The eight cheetahs brought to India from Namibia are healthy, active and adjusting well, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on November 6.

He added that two of them had been released from quarantine into bigger enclosures for adaptation to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park.

"Great news," the prime minister said. "Others will be released soon."

Great news! Am told that after the mandatory quarantine, 2 cheetahs have been released to a bigger enclosure for further adaptation to the Kuno habitat. Others will be released soon. I’m also glad to know that all cheetahs are healthy, active and adjusting well. pic.twitter.com/UeAGcs8YmJ

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 6, 2022

Cheetahs had been declared extinct in India in 1952.

In September this year, under a translocation project, eight cheetahs -- five females and three males --  had been flown to India from Namibia in a customised aircraft.

In a widely-watched event, Modi had released them into the national park.

International norms mandate that translocated animals be kept in quarantine for a month to check for possible infections, news agency PTI reported.

Officials had put satellite collars on the cheetahs to track their movement.

Two of them were released from quarantine on Saturday, November 6. They are now in a  larger enclosure spanning five square kilometres.

"The remaining six cheetahs will also be released in the (acclimatisation enclosure) in a phased manner," Prakash Kumar Verma, Kuno National Park's divisional forest officer, told PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)