Project Cheetah: First look of cheetahs coming to India after 70 years on PM Modi's birthday

News agency ANI shared the first image of the cheetahs that would be transported from Namibia, Africa, to India on September 17 at KUNO National Park, in Madhya Pradesh. Two cheetahs can be seen napping under a tree in the brief footage, which is thought to be in a national park. Up to 16 Cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa will arrive on Friday. After nearly 70 years, cheetahs will be reintroduced to the country on Saturday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi releases them at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park.

#WATCH | First look of Cheetahs that will be brought from Namibia to India on 17th September at KUNO National Park, in Madhya Pradesh pic.twitter.com/HOjexYWtE6

— ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2022

Prime Minister Modi will release eight cheetahs that he bought from Namibia in Kuno National Park to commemorate his birthday and as part of his efforts to revitalise and diversify the nation's wildlife and ecosystem.

The cheetah will arrive in Gwalior on a special freight Boeing -747 flight. Then a helicopter will transport them to Kuno National Park. 

The head of Project Cheetah, SP Yadav, told the news agency ANI that “Cheetahs coming from Namibia will now land in Gwalior, earlier it was supposed to land in Jaipur on September 17 then from a helicopter from Gwalior brought to KUNO National Park Sheopur.”

According to guidelines from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the ambitious Project Cheetah initiative of the Indian government is reintroducing wild animals, particularly the cheetah. 

Animal protection has a long history in India. Beginning in 1972, Project Tiger, one of the most successful initiatives to conserve wildlife, has contributed to the preservation of not only tigers but also the entire ecosystem. 

In light of this, the recent loss of the cheetah and its return represents a significant advancement in India's history of wildlife protection.