Context: Government of India is in the process of holding consultation meeting with African countries for bringing Cheetah.
Rs. 38.70 crore under the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger has been allocated to the cheetah introduction project for the years 2021-22 to 2025-26.
About 12-14 wild cheetahs (8-10 males and 4-6 females) that are ideal for establishing a new cheetah population would be imported as required from South Africa/Namibia/Other African Countries, as a founder stock for five years initially and then as may be required by the action plan.
About Cheetahs
The cheetah is one of the oldest of the big cat species, with ancestors that can be traced back more than five million years to the Miocene era.
The cheetah is also the world’s fastest land mammal that lives in Africa and Asia.
Cheetah is the only large carnivore to have become extinct in Independent India.
Cheetah has been an integral part of Indian ecosystems, a major evolutionary force, and an important cultural heritage.
Their restoration will likely result in better conservation of open forest, grassland, and scrub ecosystems for which they will serve as a flagship species.
