Sending African cheetahs to India is ‘ecologically unsound’

Introducing African cheetahs to India is an “ill-advised” conservation attempt that risks causing the deaths of the charismatic big cats in human-wildlife conflict, a group of scientists have argued.

Last month, eight African cheetahs from Namibia were airlifted to India and released into Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park to mark the 72nd birthday of India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. 

Twelve cheetahs from South Africa remain in quarantine and are expected to arrive in Kuno from South Africa once the two countries conclude a memorandum of understanding.