In India, the arrival of eight cheetahs from Namibia made headlines. Local newspaper sites followed the big cats’ arrivals live, detailing their minute by minute journey to the Ancient Wildlife Sanctuary, 320km south of New Delhi. “[Plus de sept décennies] after the cheetah went extinct in India, its cousin in Africa came to bring back its ‘place of glory’”, announce Indian Time, in reference to the characteristic black rose of the animal. Habitat loss combined with hunting led to the extinction of the cheetah in India around 1952.

This Saturday, September 17, five women and three men arrived safely after an 11-hour flight from the Namibian capital, Windhoek. Their new playground will be a protected area of ​​750 sq km. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs into the enclosure of the Ancient National Park, opened by a lever-operated mechanism, on Saturday morning”continue Bombay every day.

The figure of India’s nationalist leader is especially present on this day “historical”. Most press headlines don’t fail to mention the fact that the cat’s arrival happened on its 72nd day.^e birthday. Right after opening the sanctuary’s doors, the Prime Minister was in the vanguard to photograph the cheetah himself and then make a speech:

“Today, the cheetah has returned to our land after decades. On this historic day, I would like to congratulate all Indians and also thank the Government of Namibia.”

India’s Ministry of Environment said it was the first intercontinental project to reintroduce the world’s fastest land animal. that “cheetah project” is a long endeavor: Hindu recommend that the building dates from 2010, when the ministry undertook to bring in specimens from Africa. “However, this has raised legal issues as conservationists have challenged the advice issued by the Wildlife Institute of India – an independent body – on the suitability of Indian nature reserves to house wildlife. ‘animal”, write the title. Some specialists fear the difficult acclimatization to this new environment, and even the complicated cohabitation with the leopard. In his speech, Narendra Modi predicted that it would take the cat several months to find its tracks in its new habitat.

Other cheetahs from Africa should be introduced to India in the coming years, to create a sustainable population there. Globally, the cheetah remains “vulnerable” on the endangered species list. The population of 7,000 individuals is mainly concentrated in the African savanna.