Kuno-PalpurNational Park in Madhya Pradesh is all set to welcome the African cheetahs bynext month after a gap of 70-years.
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 ata time when India will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day, a seniorforest department official said.
¡°We are workingon it. Cheetahs will come to Madhya Pradesh in August,¡± forest department'sprincipal secretary Ashok Barnwal told PTI.
The African cheetahs are being brought under an intercontinental translocation project.
Asked whetherthe world's fastest mammals will be brought from Namibia or South Africa, MrBarnwal said, ¡°Initially from South Africa.¡± On the status of memorandums ofunderstanding (MoUs) with these two countries on translocation of cheetahs, thetop forest official said they are yet to be finalized.
An MoU will besigned with South Africa soon, Mr Barnwal said without elaborating further.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII) dean and senior professor Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala also did not give any exact date for arrival.
TheDehradun-based institute is also involved in the translocation project.
When pointedout that India was still to sign an MoU, either with Namibia or South Africa,for the cheetah reintroduction programme, Mr Jhala said a lot of legalities areinvolved in such projects.
¡°It depends onthe (Indian) government. It (MoU) can be done in two days or it may take twomonths. There are a lot of legalities involved in it,¡± the WII dean said.
Sheopur'sdivisional forest officer (DFO) Prakash Verma said 90 per cent preparations tohouse the animals on Indian soil have been completed.
¡°We were(during training) taught how to handle cheetahs and told about various aspectsof their behaviour. Whatever we have learnt, we will be imparting those skillsto over 125 staffers posted in KNP,¡± he said.
KNP is spreadacross an area of over 750 sq km and is capable of handling the carnivores asit has maintained a large prey base of cheetal, sambhar, blue bull, wild boarand langoor among others, Verma said.
The country'slast spotted cheetah died in Chhattisgarh in undivided Madhya Pradesh in 1947and the wild animal was declared extinct in the country in 1952.
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