Explained: Why are the Cheetahs travelling to India from Namibia on an empty stomach

New Delhi, Sep 16: On September 17 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the Cheetahs in the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh 70 years after the magnificent beast went extinct in India. The day also happens to be the birthday of Prime Minister Modi.

The Cheetahs are being brought in from Namibia as part of a special agreement. During the entire transit the Cheetahs will not be given any food and this is to avoid any complications during the long journey. Such long journey cause a nausea like feeling in animals.

Eight Cheetahs will travel from Namibia to Jaipur, Rajasthan. It will then take another hour to reach Kuno-Palpur National Park in Bhopal, JS Chauhan, the principal chief conservator of forests for Madhya Pradesh said.

He also said that it is mandated that an animal should have an empty stomach at the time of commencing the journey.

The Cheetahs will be housed in small enclosures for a month after arriving following by larger ones for a few months to help them acclimate and become comfortable with their surroundings.

"We have set up six small quarantine enclosures as per the legal mandate required during the shifting of animals from one continent to another," an official said earlier. According to the protocol, the animals need to be quarantined for a month each before and after shifting from one continent to another, Chauhan said.

The Cheetahs were officially declared extinct in 1952after the last one died in India in 1947. The African Cheetah Introduction Project in India was created in 2009. The project which was to take shape last year was delayed due to COVID-19.