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Seven decades after cheetahs died out in India, they are back. Eight big cats from Namibia made the long trek on Saturday in a chartered cargo flight to Gwalior. They moved to their new home: a sprawling Kuno National park in the heart of India where scientists hope the world’s fastest land animal will roam again. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the cats into their enclosure on Saturday morning, which is also his 72nd birthday. Let us take a look at some of the images:
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A cheetah after being released inside a special enclosure of the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. (PTI Photo)
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Three of the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia were released as part of a programme to reintroduce the feline in India, seven decades after it was declared extinct in the country. (PTI Photo)
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi after releasing cheetahs inside a special enclosure of the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. (PTI Photo)
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The cats emerged from their cage, tentatively at first while continuously scanning their new surroundings. (PTI Photo)
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Cheetahs were once widespread in India and became extinct in 1952 from hunting and loss of habitat. (PTI Photo)
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India hopes importing African cheetahs will aid efforts to conserve the country’s threatened and largely neglected grasslands. (PTI Photo)