ITP
Johannesburg, September 10
The first batch of 12 cheetahs is expected to arrive in India from South Africa next month as part of an ambitious project to reintroduce the distinctively spotted cat species to the country where it went extinct, authorities said.
A team of South African wildlife experts returned home on Friday from India, where they inspected the holding facility where the cheetahs will be released.
Nine cheetahs have been quarantined at Rooiberg Veterinary Services run by wildlife vet Dr Andy Fraser in Limpopo province, while the other three were quarantined at Phinda Game Reserve in KwaZulu province. -Natal, authorities said.
Fraser said he and South African cheetah expert Professor Adrian Tordiffe would accompany the animals which are expected to arrive in India next month.
The South African translocation of cheetahs at an as yet unconfirmed date in October will follow that of eight cheetahs, which are expected to be shipped to India from neighboring Namibia next week.
“There has been a massive collaboration between the nature conservation departments and vets in South Africa and India. We have had visits from the team that will be the cheetah custodian at that end, so they are very aware of the process and what is required,” Fraser said.
The vet echoed earlier comments from wildlife expert Vincent van der Merwe, who headed the Cheetah Metapopulation Project that the cheetah population in India would need to reach around 500 to be genetically viable.
“Shipping 20 cheetahs, which is what will happen in 2022, is not a viable genetic population. They need to get to a large enough population, which will initially be a conjunction of many South African cheetahs and obviously other cheetahs on the Indian side will breed as well.
