New Delhi: The route of the special aircraft bringing cheetahs from Namibia to India has been changed. The aircraft will land in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh instead of Rajasthan’s capital Jaipur.
Project Cheetah chief SP Yadav said, “A special charter cargo flight of cheetahs coming from Namibia will now land in Gwalior, first it was supposed to land in Jaipur on September 17, then a helicopter from Gwalior will be brought to Kuno National Park, Sheopur.”
The habitat of wild cheetahs in Kuno National Park is part of his efforts to revive and diversify India’s wildlife and its habitat.
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Cheetahs brought from Namibia by Charter Cargo flight Boeing 747
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Cheetah extinct in India in 1952
The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. The cheetahs that will be released are from Namibia and have been brought under a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year.
Cheetah will help in restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystem in India. This will help in the conservation of biodiversity and enhance ecosystem services such as water security, carbon sequestration and soil moisture conservation, which will benefit the society at large.
3 male, 5 female cheetahs are coming
Eight cheetahs will be released in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on September 17, the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These three male and five female cheetahs are being brought to India from Namibia.
A Boeing 747 special plane has arrived to bring them to Namibia’s Husia Kotaco International Airport. According to sources, these cheetahs will be brought from Namibia to India without stopping after traveling for 16 hours.
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Cheetahs to travel empty stomach
According to a senior forest department official, feral cats will have to spend their entire air transit period on an empty stomach.
MP Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) JS Chauhan told PTI that as a precaution it is mandatory that the animal should be travel on an empty stomach while starting the journey. He said the cheetahs would not be given any food during their journey from Namibia to the national park. Chouhan said such precautions need to be taken as long journeys can cause nausea-like feeling in animals which can lead to other complications.
Chouhan said they would reach the helipad at Kuno-Palpur after about an hour’s journey after shifting the cheetahs from the cargo plane to the helicopter and completing other formalities.
