NEW DELHI: With serious concerns being raised about the survival of Cheetahs, being brought from Namibia, in the wild, a top environment ministry official said that animals being brought from the African nation are part of a conservation breeding programme and will be released in the wild later.
Cheetah, which was declared extinct in the country in 1952, will be introduced in India in the Kuno-Palpur National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The first batch comprising four males and as many females will arrive from Namibia likely later this year.
The arrival of the Cheetahs seems to have entered into a controversy after some reports quoted YV Jhala, one of the experts overseeing the conservation initiative, that three of eight selected Cheetahs were captive bred and they would not be able to catch wild prey and that India has asked the Namibia government to replace them. However, these repprts were denied by the Union Environment Ministry.
A top official from he ministry said that the Cheetahs being brought to India are part of a conservation breeding programme, and they would be later released into the wild. “It will be similar like what is done to orphaned tiger cubs who are bred and later released into the wild,” said the official.
A team of experts from India visited Namibia to finalise the translocation schedule, as the earlier plan was to bring the animals by this month. On the possible delay, the official said that keeping in mind floods in Madhya Pradesh, there could be some delay and animals could now come by later this year.