Bhopal, April 19 || As part of efforts to give a boost to the 'Cheetah Project', the first four of the eight cheetahs to be brought to India from southern Africa will arrive in the country in May. The eight big cats will be brought to India from Botswana in two phases, media reports quoted officials as saying on Saturday.
This information was given by officials of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), who took part in a review meeting of the cheetah project on Friday in the presence of Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
"Efforts are underway to bring more cheetahs from South Africa, Botswana, and Kenya to India. Eight cheetahs will be brought to India in two phases. There is a plan to bring four cheetahs from Botswana to India by May. After this, four more cheetahs will be brought. At present, consent is being developed on an agreement between India and Kenya," stated a release from the Madhya Pradesh government quoting the NTCA officials.
Meanwhile, two cheetahs from the Kuno National Park (KNP) will be relocated to the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Friday that two cheetahs -- a male and a female -- from the KNP will be relocated to the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary on April 20.
The announcement was made after Bhupender Yadav and CM Yadav’s meeting with senior forest officials in Bhopal.