Officials announce eight cats will be brought from Namibia in effort to reintroduce animal to its former habitat<\/p>\n
Cheetahs are to return to India\u2019s forests this August for the first time in more than 70 years, officials have announced.<\/p>\n
Eight wild cats from Namibia will roam freely at Kuno-Palpur national park in the state of Madhya Pradesh in efforts to reintroduce the animal to their natural habitat.<\/p>\n
Despite being a vital part of India\u2019s ecosystem, the cheetah was declared extinct from the country in 1952 because of habitat loss and poaching. Cheetahs can reach speeds of up to 70mph (113km\/h), making them the world\u2019s fastest land animal.<\/p>\n
Only about 7,000 cheetahs remain in the wild worldwide and the animals are classified as a vulnerable species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list of threatened species. Namibia has the world\u2019s largest population of cheetahs.<\/p>\n
Officials have been working to relocate the animals since 2020, after India\u2019s supreme court announced that African cheetahs could be brought back in a \u201ccarefully chosen location\u201d.<\/p>\n
The move coincides with the nation\u2019s 75th Independence Day, celebrating cheetahs as an important part of India\u2019s cultural heritage.<\/p>\n