Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Friday hailed the re-introduction of cheetahs to India’s forests – starting with the Kuno National Park in his state – and called it a ‘dream come true’.” We were a tiger state, a leopard state and now (are) becoming a cheetah state. We prepared Kuno 20 years ago… removed villages so wildlife could grow and villagers could be safe. Dreams coming true… this will be the biggest wildlife event this decade.”
The chief minister said his government would ensure the cheetahs – eight being flown in from the southern African’s Namibia – are cared for and hoped they will thrive in India. He was also quick to highlight the economic benefits.
“… even though cheetahs have not reached yet, value of land nearby has grown by a lot. Tourism will grow… cars, hotels, landowners and locals all will benefit.”
Chouhan, however, said the ‘first priority’ remains the big cats’ safety. “… will wait for them to adjust… Our first priority is their safety, after which we will think of increasing tourism here.”
A customised Boeing 747-400 is to fly the eight – five females and three males – cheetahs from Namibia’s Windhoek and is scheduled to land in Gwalior at 7 am Saturday – on prime minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. Kuno National Park is around 200 km away and they will be transported via IAF choppers.
Cheetahs were declared extinct in the wild in India in 1952.
National Tiger Conservation Authority secretary SP Yadav said the prime minister will release the cheetahs into a 50x30m enclosure, in which they will be quarantined for a month.
Unauthorised persons will be banned from the enclosure for a month and it will be covered with curtains for that time to protect them from possible infections.
A specialist accompanying the cheetahs said they had been fed Thursday and would not eat again till they land in India.
Their enclosure for the first month has already been populated with spotted deer, baby nilgai and more – to help them get used to the prey animals.