Eight Namibian cheetahs arrived in India on Saturday in an ambitious initiative to reintroduce the giant cats, which has divided experts on its likelihood of success decades after their local extinction. NEW DELHI
Cheetahs are the fastest land animals, and according to officials, this endeavour marks the first transatlantic relocation of them.
The 11-hour journey carried the five ladies and three males from a wildlife area north of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. The aircraft was a rented Boeing 747 nicknamed “Cat plane.”
At Kuno National Park, a wildlife refuge chosen for its profusion of prey and grasslands and located 320 kilometres (200 miles) south of New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the release.
