The Kuno in Madhya Pradesh is set to get 13 cheetahs in 2022.
The Kuno National Park was originally developed as the second Home for Asiatic lions in India, apart from Gir National Park. However, that project did not take off.
But now the park is expecting to get 13 African cheetahs, which is being described as the largest intercontinental animal translocation in the world.
Of all, 13 cheetahs have been carefully selected. 10 are from South Africa while 3 are from Namibia.
The project is crucial in India. It would mean the introduction of fastest animal on Earth into the wild, after 69 years of last surviving cheetah was recorded to have been hunted down in 1952 in Chhattisgarh.
There are challenges too in the project, as fence which is being created would prevent the entry of the African Cheetahs.
As per United Nations, Cheetahs have been listed as Vulnerable in the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, recent study revealed the decline in its Population. Hence, demand is there for cheetahs to be listed to Endangered category. In North Africa and Asia, cheetahs are considered as Critically Endangered.