Project Cheetah celebrates milestone on Indian PM Modi's birthday

An ambitious project of the Central government of reintroducing Cheetahs in India successfully completed two years on Tuesday after being declared extinct in 1952.

Two years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reintroduced the Cheetahs in India by releasing the first batch of eight Cheetah, brought from Namibia, on the occasion of his 72nd birthday, September 17, 2022 at Kuno National Park located in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district.

On completing the two years of project Cheetah, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav shared a video celebrating the journey of reintroduction of Cheetah on Indian soil.

The video explained that a new chapter began in India's wildlife story two years ago with the reintroduction of the fastest sprinter on earth, Cheetah, which became extinct in 1952, to their historic home and winning the race against extinction.

Project Cheetah, launched to revive their presence, is showing remarkable progress. Currently there are 24 cheetahs in India. Of these there are 12 adults and 12 cubs born here. It is just the start of a journey to revitalise India's biodiversity, the video stated.

"From Africa to the heart of India they are once again part of our ecosystem. These Cheetahs are not just surviving but also they are thriving here. Their presence helps to restore ecological balance and support local ecosystems," the video added.

In 2022, eight Cheetahs - brought from Namibia - were introduced in India under Project Cheetah. Subsequently, twelve cheetahs from South Africa were also translocated and released in Kuno National Park in February 2023.

(ANI)