'Extinct' cheetahs' homecoming: India signs pact with Namibia

New Delhi, July 20: India and Namibia on Wednesday signed a crucial memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the reintroduction of cheetahs, declared extinct in the country in 1952.

A senior environment ministry official told PTI the first batch comprising four male and four female cheetahs will arrive from Namibia in August.

"Talks are on with South Africa too. An MoU will be signed with them as soon as we get approval," the official said.

The fastest land animal in the world will find a new home in the Kuno-Palpur National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district.

According to the pact, the two countries will share and exchange expertise and capacities to promote cheetah conservation in their ranges. They will collaborate in areas of climate change, environmental governance, environmental impact assessments, pollution, waste management, etc and undertake an exchange of personnel for training and education in wildlife management, including sharing of technical expertise, wherever relevant.

India is going to be home once again to the majestic presence of cheetah, the world's fastest land animal.

The fastest land animal in the world declared extinct in the country in 1952, will find a new home in the Kuno-Palpur National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district probably at a time when India will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day.

Cheetahs live in open plains; their habitat is predominantly where their preys live - grasslands, scrubs and open forest systems, semi-arid environments, and temperatures that tend to be hotter compared to cooler regimes.