On January 5, 2022, the Union government launched an action plan for introducing Cheetah in India.

Key Facts

• The ‘Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India’ was released by environment ministry in the 19th meeting of National Tiger Conservation Authority.
• Under the action plan, 50 cheetahs will be introduced in India, in the next five years.
• Around 12 to 14 cheetahs will be imported from South Africa or Namibia.
• Each of the cheetahs will be fitted with a satellite-GPS-very high frequency radio-collar.

International transportation

International transportation of the cheetahs will be done by either a commercial airline or by a chartered flight. They will be transported to Kuno Palpur National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh.

Framework for collaboration

Under the plan, Union government, ministry of environment and Cheetah Task Force will form a formal framework for collaborating with governments of Namibia and/or South Africa.

Background

Fastest land animal of the world was expected to be reintroduced in November 2021. However, but the plan got delayed amid covid-19 pandemic.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

NCTA was created in December 2005, on the recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, which was constituted by the Prime Minister of India for management of Project Tiger & Tiger Reserves in India. A programme called “Tiger Protection Programme” (Project Tiger) was started to project Tiger in 1973, in collaboration with WWF.