India allows introduction of dozen South African cheetahs

• India and South Africa agree to send dozens of cheetahs back to India.
• The aim is to restore the role of the cheetah within India.
• Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952 due to overhunting.

A deal has been made between South Africa and India to return dozens more South African cheetahs to the South Asian country.

After eight of the huge cats were transferred from the neighboring country of Namibia in 2022 both countries made this deal.

The first batch of 12 cheetahs is to be flown over in February, according to a statement Thursday from South Africa’s environmental department, which added the plan was to relocate “a further 12 annually for the next eight to 10 years.”

The statement said the aim was to “achieve a number of ecological objectives,” including restoring the role of the cheetah within India, where the endangered cats used to roam, and “enhancing the livelihood options and economies of the local communities.”

The only great carnivore to have perished in India is the cheetah, which was officially declared extinct in the country in 1952.

The overhunting and habitat destruction, according to a statement from India’s environment ministry, caused this.

In the statement, released last year, India’s Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “keen on the protection and conservation of seven major big cats including cheetah.”

“Project Cheetah aims to bring back independent India’s only extinct large mammal – the cheetah. As part of the project, 50 cheetahs will be introduced in various National Parks over five years,” Yadav was quoted saying in the statement.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, cheetahs can now be found across southern and eastern Africa, mainly in Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, and Tanzania (WWF).

However, the range of spotted cats used to be much wider. Cheetahs once roamed the majority of sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and central India. Population declines caused by habitat degradation, poaching, and conflicts with people are significant.

According to the WWF, there are currently fewer than 7,000 cheetahs left in the wild.

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