Special Jumbo Jet to bring 8 cheetahs from Namibia to India

India is all set to welcome eight cheetahs on September 17 from Namibia in a special plane. The modified passenger B747 Jumbo Jet, painted with the face of a tiger, landed in the Namibian capital of Windhoek to bring the cheetahs. The plane is expected to bring eight Namibian wild cheetahs, five females and three males to India. The five female cheetahs are aged between two and five years. On the other hand, the male cheetahs are aged between 4.5 years and 5.5 years.

All eight cheetahs have been vaccinated, fitted with a satellite collar and kept in isolation at the CCF centre in Namibia. The cheetahs are selected based on an assessment of health, wild disposition, hunting skills and ability to contribute genetics that will result in a strong founder population.

The Supreme Court of India approved Project Cheetah in January 2020 as a pilot programme to reintroduce the species to India. 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in July 2020 between India and the Republic of Namibia regarding the conservation of cheetah. The MoU included Namibia’s participation in Project Cheetah. Namibia agreed to donate the first eight individuals to launch the programme. 

In India, Cheetahs went extinct in 1952. However, the country was committed to bringing back cheetahs. The eight cheetahs coming from Namibia will be kept in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The facilities for the animals have been developed, staff have been trained, and larger predators have been moved away from the park. 

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