Cheetahs have left Namibia for India

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Much awaited Cheetahs here have left Namibia, informed High Commission of India in Namibia on its official Twitter handle on Friday night.

“They are on their way to Mother India! Cheetahs have left Namibia by spl flight. Kuno MP new home. A historic, global first intercontinental translocation. Spl milestone in India-Namibia relns”, said the tweet.

Notably, as many as 8 cheetahs are coming from Namibia to be released into Kuno Palpur National Park by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday morning which happens to be the Prime Minister’s birthday as well.

Speaking during the handover programme at Hosea Kutako International Airport, Windhoek high commissioner of India to Namibia Prashant Agrawal said, “This is a very special moment indeed. As these magnificent Cheetahs board the flight to India, we are being witness to history being made here today.”

He said, “This is a global first. This intercontinental translocation is the first one of its kind, with no parallels ever.”

“We are honoured that the Cheetah Reintroduction Project would be launched by Hon. Prime Minister of India tomorrow at Kuno National Park in the State of Madhya Pradesh. His vision and presence is a firm expression of the commitment India has to protect its wildlife and natural habitats, along with the people who are part of these ecosystems”, said the high commissioner.

He said as we say in India, ‘Prakrati Rakshati Rakshita' (Nature protects us, if she is protected). To harmoniously co-exist with our fellow travellers on our beautiful planet is part of India's civilizational ethos. The reintroduction has a special significance, as India marks its 75th Independence Anniversary this year.

“In this project, we have been privileged to have strong partnership with Namibia, rightly called the Cheetah Capital of the world. I would like to thank Government of Namibia for their steadfast support to this project, which is now another milestone in our historic, close ties. These Cheetahs are the goodwill Ambassadors for India-Namibia relations and, indeed, for the cause of conservation all over the world”, he said.

He said he was happy to note that as part of the agreement signed with Namibia on wildlife conservation and sustainable biodiversity utilization, there were several other elements of training, capacity building and sharing of good practices and material support for wildlife management, patrolling, population estimation, and surveillance and monitoring, which would also assist Namibia in its own conservation efforts.

Published on: Friday, September 16, 2022, 10:46 PM IST