Ahead of their maiden journey to MP’s Kuno Park, African Cheetahs get health checkups

India

oi-Deepika S

New
Delhi,
Aug
15:
Cheetahs
from
Namibia,
who
will
soon
be
settled
in
the
Kuno
National
Park
in
Madhya
Pradesh
have
undergone
the
first
health
examination
conducted
by
a
team
of
international
experts
of
the
Cheetah
Conservation
Fund
(CCF)
in
Namibia.

This
information
was
shared
by
the
Indian
High
Commissioner
in
Windhoek,
Namibia,
through
his
official
Twitter
handle.

“Cheetahs,
potential
candidates
fr
(for)
transfer
to
Kuno
NP
(National
Park),
MP
(Madhya
Pradesh)
in
due
course,
undergo
thorough
1st
health
exam
by
int’l
(international)
team
of
experts
@CCFCheetah
(Cheetah
Conservation
Fund)
led
by
renowned
specialist
Dr
Laurie
Marker.
High
Commissioner
Prashant
Agrawal
was
present.
We
thank
Namibia
MEFT
(Namibia’s
Ministry
of
Environment
and
Tourism),”
Indian
High
Commissioner’s
official
account
tweeted
on
Monday
evening.

Indep
Day
exclusive:
Cheetahs,
potential
candidates
fr
transfer
to
Kuno
NP,
MP
in
due
course,
undergo
thorough
1st
health
exam
by
int’l
team
of
experts

@CCFCheetah
led
by
renowned
specialist
Dr.
Laurie
Marker.
High
Commissioner
Prashant
Agrawal
was
present.
We
thank
Namibia
MEFT

pic.twitter.com/C0A1nH2V5A

— India In Namibia (@IndiainNamibia)

August
15,
2022

The
cheetahs,
expected
to
arrive
in
the
KNP
in
the
next
month
from
South
Africa
and
Namibia
as
part
of
an
ambitious
reintroduction
project,
need
time
to
acclimatize
due
to
the
long
journey
and
the
change
of
environment,
local
officials
said.

Six
leopards
had
entered
the
enclosure,
spread
over
5
square
km,
meant
for
cheetahs
during
an
acclimatization
phase
at
the
KNP.
While
two
of
them
were
chased
away,
efforts
to
drive
out
the
rest
four
over
several
days
are
in
vain,
the
officials
admitted.

Now,
two
elephants
from
Satpura
Tiger
Reserve
(STR)
are
being
deployed
to
chase
away
these
leopards,
officials
said
on
Sunday.

The
elephants,
along
with
their
mahouts,
embarked
on
the
800-kilometre
journey
to
KNP
from
Sitapur
Tiger
Reserve
on
Sunday
morning
on
trucks
stocked
with
all
essential
items,
STR
Director
L
Krishnamurthy
had
told
PTI.

MP
Principal
Chief
Conservator
of
Forests
(Wildlife)
JS
Chauhan
had
earlier
said
that
the
cheetahs
may
be
under
stress
because
of
the
long
journey,
due
to
which
keeping
them
in
an
enclosure
for
acclimatization
becomes
necessary.

Cheetahs
became
extinct
in
India
in
1952.
The
‘African
Cheetah
Introduction
Project
in
India’ has
been
underway
since
2009,
before
picking
up
speed
in
the
last
few
years.

While
India
has
signed
a
Memorandum
of
Understanding
(MoU)
with
the
Namibian
government
for
the
import
of
cheetahs,
it
is
also
in
the
process
of
inking
agreements
with
private
game
reserves
in
South
Africa
and
the
government
for
more
big
cats,
officials
had
said.

Most
of
the
cheetahs
to
be
imported
to
the
KNP
have
been
donated
even
as
India
is
planning
to
buy
some
from
private
game
reserves
at
USD
3,000-4,000
per
animal,
they
had
informed.