The long wait for arrival of Cheetahs for the people of country, especially wildlife and nature lovers, has now come to an end. Eight Cheetahs are being brought from Namibia in South Africa to Delhi on September 17 and then taken by Air Force helicopter to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be visiting Kuno National Park on September 17 on the occasion of his birthday. The Cheetahs will be released in the national park same day. The authorities concerned are making all the necessary arrangements to accord a warm welcome to Modi. It is learnt that arrangements are also being made at district place for seven helipads, including three for the convoy of the Prime Minister.
The forest officers and staff are also making required arrangements for natural habitat, removal of thorny bushes, developing meadows, solar fencing, water towers, installing high-resolution cameras to monitor movements of Cheetahs, clearning medicinal plants and compound for welcoming Cheetahs in the park. Kuno National Park was established in 1981 and it covers an area of 748.76 sq km. A portion of the park like buffer zone is spread in 1235.39 sq km.
The Central Government had declared Cheetahs as extinct species in the country. It is reported that the royal family had killed the last Cheetah in 1949 in the then Madhya Pradesh.
