India called South Africa for 100 cheetahs

30/01/2023

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India called South Africa for 100 cheetahs

India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Africa under which the former would get over 100 cheetahs from South Africa over the next decade. This was confirmed through a press release by the South African country.

From this recent MoU concluded pact on ‘Cooperation in the Re-introduction of Cheetah,’ an initial batch of 12 cheetahs will be scheduled to be flown from South Africa to India in February 2023.

The cats have been planned to join the eight cheetahs already introduced to India from Namibia in 2022.

As per the South Africa’s government, the plan is to trans-locate a further 12 annually for the next eight to 10 years to the following the import of the 12 cheetahs in February.

Review of MoUs:

The press release stated that the MoU will be reviewed every five years to ensure it stays relevant.

South African minister of environment, forestry and fisheries, Barbara Creecy, cleared India’s proposal to trans-locate cheetahs in November.

Eight cheetahs, five females and three males, had been introduced into the Kuno National Park in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh on September 17 last year.

Reasons to introduce cheetahs:

The big spotted felines had been completely wiped out from India due to their use for coursing, sport hunting, overhunting and habitat loss.

The government had declared the cheetah extinct in the country in 1952.

Starting in the 1970s, the Indian government started its efforts to re-establish the species in its historical ranges in the country.

This effort has been led to the signing of a pact with Namibia that donated the first eight individuals to launch the Cheetah reintroduction programme on July 20 last year.

Benefits of reintroduction of Cheetahs:

The reintroduction of Cheetah is accelerating in restoring the open forest and grassland ecosystems in India.

This will support conserve biodiversity and enhance the ecosystem services like water security, carbon sequestration and soil moisture conservation, benefiting society at large.

The efforts will contribute to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community through eco-development and ecotourism activities.