Take a look at the cheetahs being flown in to India tomorrow

On the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, on Saturday, the septuagenarian is set to release cheetahs into Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park.

The introduction of cheetahs into the Sheopur wildlife habitat will see the fastest land animal return to the Indian ecosystem after almost 70 years.

Obtained from Namibia, the cheetahs are part of the Prime Minister's efforts to diversify the country's wildlife and habitat.


Cheetah Project Chief and Member Secretary National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) SP Yadav has told ANI that the big cats will be flown in from Africa on a specially chartered Boeing 747 on Saturday morning.

Here's a look at the cheetahs:

"We are bringing cheetahs by a special chartered cargo plane Boeing -747. This is a bigger plane and will come directly to India without refuelling and that is why we selected this aircraft. This is a dedicated aircraft and it will have eight cheetahs. Along with crew members, in addition to our officers and some veterinary doctors, wildlife experts, cheetah experts and our three Indian scientists, doctors and officers will be onboard in the plane from Namibia," Yadav was reported as having said.

The reintroduction of the speedy cat is being undertaken under the 'Project Cheetah' name in accordance with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines.

Following in the footsteps of major successes like 'Project Tiger', the move to populate India with the big cat again is likely to get the country's ecosystems one step ahead.