The Indian government announced today, Monday, that two of the 20 cheetahs brought from southern Africa to reintroduce these animals in India have died this year. It added that the remaining cheetahs are well, but the unprecedented project is facing challenges. The cheetahs were transported to Kuno National Park in central India in September and February as part of the initial stage of a plan to reintroduce the species that has been absent from the country for 70 years. The deaths of the two cheetahs raised concerns about the project, which is supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with some environmental activists describing it as a "futile project" that ignores the fact that African cheetahs are not native to South Asia.
African cheetahs are similar to the critically endangered Asiatic cheetahs, which now only reside in Iran, but they are different subspecies. The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change stated in a release, "We are closely monitoring the other cheetahs, and none have shown any similar symptoms." It added, "They all appear to be well, are hunting independently, and display other normal behaviors."
