On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released 8 cheetahs in the Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. On the occasion of his 72nd birthday, PM Narendra Modi addressed the nation saying, 'Decades ago, the age-old link of biodiversity that was broken and became extinct, today we have a chance to restore it. Today the cheetah has returned to the soil of India.'
The 8 cheetahs that were brought to India were a part of the 'Project Cheetahs' which was successfully executed on 17th September 2022. Efforts were made to reintroduce the species in India, 7 decades after it was declared extinct in the country.
Fun Fact: The Species of cheetah got extinct in India when the last three cheetahs were hunted by Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo, King of Koriya (Chhattisgarh) in 1947.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said bringing cheetahs back to India will help in the restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystems and also lead to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community.
The Prime Minister underlined that this monumental occasion has led to the nature-loving consciousness of India being awakened with full force. Modi congratulated all the countrymen on this historic occasion while making a special mention of Namibia and its government with whose cooperation, the cheetahs have returned to Indian soil after decades.
He mentioned how India will try its best to follow international guidelines in nurturing them. He thanked the government of Namibia for its assistance in the project.
Shortly after releasing the cheetahs, the Prime Minister congratulated all Indians and said, "Today, the cheetahs have come back to our land after decades. On this historic day, I want to congratulate all Indians and also thank the government of Namibia."
A special cargo plane carrying eight cheetahs from Namibia landed at the Gwalior airport at around 7.51 am.
He added children will not have to go through this irony (of not seeing Cheetahs in India) in the years to come. "I am sure they will be able to see the Cheetah running in their own country, in Kuno National Park. Today a big void in our forest and life is being filled through the cheetah.” Appealing to patience from the public before visiting cheetahs, Modi said, “People should wait for a few months to see these Cheetahs. They have come as guests, unaware of this area. For them to be able to make Kuno National Park their home, we'll have to give these Cheetahs a few months,” Modi said.