India welcomes 12 cheetahs from South Africa for rewilding in experimental project
- Their arrival is the first intercontinental relocation of the planet’s fastest land animal and is part of a project to transfer more than 100
- India was once home to the Asiatic cheetah but it was declared extinct there by 1952, primarily because of habitat loss and hunting
Twelve South African cheetahs arrived in India on Saturday as part of an ambitious project to reintroduce the spotted cats in the south Asian country.
The big cats landed in their new country aboard an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft, the second batch to arrive following the previous eight cheetahs transferred from Namibia last year.
The latest arrival is part of an agreement signed by South Africa in January to transfer more than 100 cheetahs to India over the next decade.
Their resettlement “provides space for the expansion of the cheetah within its historical range”, India’s environment ministry said on Saturday.
But critics have warned the creatures may struggle to adapt to the Indian habitat.
India was once home to the Asiatic cheetah but the animal was declared extinct there by 1952, primarily because of habitat loss and deaths at the hands of hunters seeking their distinctive spotted hides.