#Gazelles make comeback war zone free

Some worry that the reintroduction plan is premature and question whether the cheetahs will survive. Marker has been a advisor to the Indian government's Project Cheetah on behalf of the Namibian government.Īs the international media spotlight shines on Kuno National Park, other experts are taking a more cautious stance towards the program, which plans to release 50 cheetahs into various national parks over the next five years. 'Without research and dedication to cheetah conservation, this project could not take place.' 'As a conservationist, I am thrilled, and as Cheetah Conservation Fund's leader, I am exceptionally proud of the work of our reintroduction team,' said Laurie Marker, the founder and executive director of the Namibian-based CCF, in a press release. It's the first attempt to relocated cheetah's from Africa to India and there were mixed reactions to the animals' move. The Asian cheetahs were native to India before they were declared extinct in 1952 - largely due to habitat loss and hunting for their distinct spotted pelts. Indian PM Narendra Modi, pictured, says that reintroducing the cheetah to India will increase biodiversity and boost eco-tourism Image: Press Information Bureau/Pib Pho/Planet Pix/ZUMA/picture allianceįor now, the cats will be kept in a specially built compound where they will be monitored for disease and adaptation before being released into the bigger enclosure.

'A long wait is over,' Modi wrote on Twitter together with pictures of the cheetahs in their new environment. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi - who was celebrating his 72nd birthday - was there to welcome the cheetahs to their new home.

The cheetahs will quarantine for a month before being released into a larger enclosure inside the sprawling park in the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. It is the first step in an ambitious attempt to reintroduce the feline species to the South Asian country, seven decades after they died out there.

#Gazelles make comeback war zone free

Eight wild cheetahs - three males and five females flown from Namibia - were set free from their transport cages inside a holding area at India's Kuno National Park last week.