WINDHOEK, Namibia — Eight cheetahs are set to be flown to India from the southern African nation of Namibia in an effort to reintroduce the big cat to a country where they were declared extinct 70 years ago.
The ambitious project will culminate with India's prime minister, Narenda Modi, releasing them into a national park on his birthday Saturday.
Vincent van der Merwe, manager of the Cheetah Metapopulation Initiative in South Africa, told the AP earlier this month that country will also be sending 12 more cheetahs to India in October.
There are two subspecies of cheetahs. Those that once roamed in Asia were declared extinct in India in 1952 and are now found only in Iran. Since then there have been efforts to reintroduce these cats to India's savannahs. Initially the plan was to bring in cheetahs from Iran but now they are being moved from southern African countries.
“For a genetically viable population in India in the long-term you need at least 500 individuals, so every year we will send eight to 12 animals, to top them up, to increase numbers, to bring in new genetics until they have a viable population,” said van der Merwe.
Indian officials say the move will aid global cheetah conservation efforts since their range in Africa is limited. The plan is for the cats to be kept in large enclosures in central Indian forests, protected from other predators like leopards or bears, to give them time to get used to their new home. The enclosures have prey — like deer and antelope — which scientists hope the cheetahs will hunt. After a few months of close monitoring, the cheetahs will be radio-collared and released.
The southern African countries of South Africa, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe still have significant cheetah populations and are expected to play a significant role in their reintroduction in India following the first shipments this year.
The Indian embassy in Namibia on Wednesday posted a photo of the specially-modified plane that will bring the cheetahs to India.
"A special bird touches down in the Land of the Brave to carry goodwill ambassadors to the Land of the Tiger," the embassy tweeted.
Speaking to The Associated Press shortly after several other cheetahs going to Mozambique were tranquilized and placed into crates, wildlife veterinarian Andy Frasier said the relocations are tough for the animals, but that the trip was successful.
“We need to use our drug doses very carefully and make sure that we give them enough drugs to anesthetize them safely," he said. "They have woken up nicely in their crates and they are all relaxed enough that we are happy for them to leave in their transport.
Frasier said the larger and more challenging relocation of cheetahs to India will require the cats to travel a much longer distance with stops in commercial airports.
Those cheetahs would be treated with a tranquilizer that lasts for three to five days during their travel, he said.
