NEW DELHI: India is yet to reintroduce cheetah into the wild, but the Madhya Pradesh government already has big plans for it.
Getting ready for eight of these big cats from South Africa, the state is also thinking of auctioning rights to film the conservation programme of cheetahs it is going to launch.
If things go according to plans, Madhya Pradesh will receive five male and three female cheetahs from South Africa around November.
They will be released in the Kuno National Park. The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952 following excessive killing.
As of now, the state government has decided that filming rights of this conservation work will be auctioned starting from a base price of Rs 42 lakh. It has given a global call to grant exclusive rights to the highest bidder.
This comes at a time when concerns have been raised by experts about introducing cheetahs in Kuno.
The MP government, working under the supervision of National Tiger Conservation Authority on this project, said the selected agency will be allowed to film the arrival of cheetahs and their soft release into enclosures in Kuno.
It added that cheetahs can also be filmed when they are actually released in the wild.
Authorities said the purpose of allowing comprehensive documentation of this landmark programme is to share all information in public domain for education, training, research and awareness.
Madhya Pradesh will get 5 male and 3 female cheetahs from South Africa.
These cats will be released in Kuno National Park, most likely around November this year.
Cheetahs are not found in India anymore. They were officially declared extinct in 1952, after excessive killing.