The environment and tourism ministry has confirmed that all logistical arrangements are in place to hand over eight cheetahs destined to leave for India.

The cheetahs will be sent to India today (Friday 16 September) in an ambitious project by the Asian nation to reintroduce the speedy big cats to the country after the wild cats became extinct in the 1950s.

A specially customised B747 jumbo jet arrived in Namibia to transport the eight cheetahs to India.

The jet has been painted with the image of a tiger, as India is considered the land of the tiger.

Equally, the jumbo jet is said to have been modified to allow cages to be secured in the main cabin, but will still allow vets to have full access to the cats during the flight.

The five males and three females will arrive in India from Namibia on Saturday, and will initially be kept in a quarantine enclosure at the Kuno National Park in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

Environment and tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda yesterday confirmed the translocation plans for the cats known as the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h.

“All permits have been acquired, and the logistical arrangements are in place to hand over the cheetahs to India. The handover of the cheetahs will take place tomorrow (Friday, 16 September at the HKIA [Hosea Kutako International Airport]. The ministry’s executive director will be at the airport with technical staff members to officially hand over the cheetahs. Unfortunately, the media is not invited, but my office will capture and share the details on the entire process and share,” he informed.

New Delhi has since 2020 been working to reintroduce the animals after the Supreme Court announced that African cheetahs, a different subspecies, could be settled in a “carefully chosen location” on an experimental basis.

India is also planning to ship in more cheetahs from South Africa at a later date. About 7 000 cheetahs remain in the wild in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Iran.

The cats will then be moved to larger spaces and once they acclimatise, will be released into the open forest in the park.

India media reports said the cheetahs will touch down in the western city of Jaipur after a 10-hour journey, and will then travel by helicopter to the Kuno Park. 

– anakale@nepc.com.na