As part of the MoU, 12 cheetahs will be brought to India annually for the next 10 years
The terms of the MoU on Cooperation in the Re-introduction of Cheetah to India will be reviewed every five years. Photo: iStock. India and South Africa (SA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to translocate more than 100 cheetahs to India over the next decade, confirmed the SA government January 26, 2023, in a press release.
The release issued by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, SA, highlighted the terms of the MoU stating that 12 big cats may arrive in India sometime in February. The plan is to translocate 12 cheetahs every year for the next eight to 10 years to establish a healthy and genetically diverse cheetah population in India.
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The terms of the MoU on Cooperation in the Re-introduction of Cheetah to India will be reviewed every five years. Restoring cheetah populations is considered to be a priority for India. It will have vital and far-reaching conservation consequences, which would aim to achieve a number of ecological objectives — including re-establishing the functional role of cheetahs within their historical range in India and improving the livelihood options and economies of the local communities, the release noted.
The move is being coordinated by several departments and organisations working for the conservation and restoration of big cats, like the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment in collaboration with the South African National Biodiversity Institute, South African National Parks, the Cheetah Range Expansion Project and the Endangered Wildlife Trust in South Africa together with the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India.
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“The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Reintroduction of Cheetah to India facilitates cooperation between the parties to establish a viable and secure cheetah population in India; promotes conservation and ensures that expertise is shared and exchanged and capacity is built, to promote cheetah conservation,” stated the release.
As part of the MoU, the two countries will collaborate and exchange best practices in large carnivore conservation through the transfer of technology, training of professionals in management, policy, and science, and establish a bilateral custodianship arrangement for cheetah translocated between the two countries.
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