After 74 years, the cheetahs that came to India's land were welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Kuno National Park of Madhya Pradesh. He left 8 cheetahs brought from Namibia.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday released cheetahs brought from Namibia in a special enclosure at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh. On this occasion, PM Modi was also seen taking some pictures of cheetahs from the camera.
PM Modi is celebrating his 72nd birthday today. He left the cheetahs in a special enclosure of KNP. The cheetahs were slowly seen coming out of the cages. During this, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was also present on the stage.
Eight cheetahs from Namibia arrived at Kuno National Park on Saturday morning as part of the country's resettlement project, seven decades after they were declared extinct in India. First, they were brought to Gwalior airport by special aircraft and then to KNP located in Sheopur district by helicopters.
The last cheetah in the country died in 1947 in the Koriya district, located in the Chhattisgarh district. The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. On the occasion of his birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left the cheetahs in special enclosures made for them in Kuno.
The cargo Boeing plane took off from Namibia on Friday night and the cheetahs were brought here in special wooden cages during the nearly 10-hour journey. For this, the team of experts was busy preparing for several days.
The cheetahs were kept in special cages. PM Modi left three cheetahs in an enclosure by running a lever. India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Namibia to import cheetahs.
The cheetahs were brought on a particular flight from Terra Avia, an airline in Europe based in Chisinau, Moldova. It also operates chartered passenger and cargo flights.
The 'African Cheetah Introduction Project in India' started in 2009 to reintroduce cheetahs in India and has gained momentum in recent years. In the first phase, eight cheetahs have been brought to India.
Kuno National Park is situated on the northern edge of Vindhyachal hills and is spread over an area of 344 square kilometers. The cheetah has been brought back to India after waiting for 7 decades.