Guwahati: India is set to receive 12 cheetahs from South Africa in mid-February, according to an expert associated with the country’s cheetah revival project.
The animals, which have been quarantined in South Africa since July 15, will be housed in the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh.
This follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between New Delhi and Pretoria (South Africa’s administrative capital) last week. India will have to pay USD 3,000 for the capture of each cheetah before they are translocated.
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KNP director Uttam Sharma said that 10 quarantine bomas (enclosures) have been set up for the cheetahs, with two pairs of brothers kept in each.
He added that Pretoria had issued an order for the translocation of cheetahs after signing the MoU.
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Wildlife experts have expressed concern over the health of the South African cheetahs, due to the delay in the signing of the MoU and their prolonged quarantine.
They are now set to join the eight cheetahs imported from Namibia and released into the KNP in Sheopur district in mid-September.