Advertisement
India training ‘Super Sniffer’ dog squad to protect 8 Namibian cheetahs from poachers at wildlife sanctuary
- Six dogs will be trained to safeguard eight cheetahs at a wildlife sanctuary. The animals were recently relocated after becoming extinct in India in 1952
- The eight big cats arrived in India on September 17 as part of the world’s first intercontinental relocation of the animal
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
India is training dogs to sniff out poachers and safeguard the eight Namibian cheetahs released into the Indian habitat after the big cat became extinct in the country in 1952.
Advertisement
According to a report by Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI), a five-month old German shepherd named “Ilu” is being trained at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force’s (ITBP) National Training Centre for Dogs to join a “Super Sniffer” dog squad which will protect the recently released cheetahs at a wildlife sanctuary.
The cheetahs – five females and three males – arrived in India on September 17 as part of the world’s first intercontinental relocation of the animal.
They were flown from a game park north of the Namibian capital Windhoek during an 11-hour flight and released at Kuno National Park, a wildlife sanctuary 320km south of New Delhi selected for its abundant prey and grasslands.
02:14
Cheetahs being reintroduced to the wild in India 70 years after going extinct
Cheetahs being reintroduced to the wild in India 70 years after going extinct
“Today the cheetah has returned to the soil of India,” said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video address after the arrival of the animals, which coincided with the leader’s 72nd birthday.
Advertisement
“The nature loving consciousness of India has also awakened with full force,” he added. “We must not allow our efforts to fail.”
Advertisement