Central Government Launches Plan To Bring Cheetahs Back In Indian Forests

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Central Government Launches Plan To Bring Cheetahs Back In Indian Forests

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav introduced the action plan to bring the big cats to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno Palpur National Park, 70 years after they went extinct in 1952.

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Cheetahs are gearing up for returning to the Indian jungles. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched an action plan on Wednesday, January 5, to bring the big cats to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno Palpur National Park.

The development comes in 70 years after they went extinct in 1952. Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav, introduced the framework at the 19th meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The plan first came up in 2009 and was implemented in November 2021 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 surge.

Increase In Population Of Tigers

As reported by NDTV, around 50 cheetahs will be brought here from Namibia or South Africa in the upcoming five years. Yadav said, "An existing coalition of wild males shall be selected while the selected females shall also be known to each other as possible. The animal's lineage and condition shall be checked in the host country to ensure that they are not from an excessively inbred stock and are in the ideal age group, to conform to the needs of the founding population."

Along with this, ten sites were examined in Central India to check their suitability. The Kuno Palpur National Park in Madhya Pradesh was chosen for its favourable habitat. The Central government will collaborate with the Environment ministry and Cheetah Task Base to bring the animals to the country, with assistance from the Ministry of External Affairs.

Promoting Eco-Tourism

Importing the cheetahs to India serves an eco-friendly purpose as well. Deccan Herald quotes the 300-page document, "To enhance India's capacity to sequester carbon through ecosystem restoration activities in cheetah conservation areas and thereby contribute towards the global climate change mitigation goals".

The National Tiger Conservation Authority will give financial support to facilitate their introduction into the forests. The concerned authorities will take stock of the successes and failures in the future. After that, necessary action will be taken to strengthen the plan and ensure better results in the future.

Also Read: Odisha Government Comes Up With Offline App To Conserve Olive Ridley Turtles

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