Cheetah Relocation In India:
India will be soon releasing cheetahs from South Africa and Namibia into the wild at Kuno Palpur in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.
- It will initiate India’s ambitious plan of transcontinental relocation of cheetahs.
- The country’s last spotted cheetah died in Chhattisgarh in 1947 and it was declared extinct in the country in 1952.
- The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) some years back prepared a cheetah reintroduction project.
- The cheetah is one of the oldest of the big cat species, with ancestors that can be traced back more than five million years to the Miocene era.
- The cheetah is also the world’s fastest land mammal that lives in Africa and Asia.
African Cheetah:
- Scientific Name: Acinonyx Jubatus
- Characteristics: They have slightly brownish and golden skin which is thicker than the Asiatic Cheetahs.
- They have much more prominent spots and lines on their face as compared to their Asian cousins.
- Distribution: Found all over the African continent in thousands of numbers.
- Protection:
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.
- CITES: Appendix 1.
- WPA: Schedule-2.
Asiatic Cheetah:
- Scientific Name: Acinonyx Jubatus Venaticus
- Characteristic: Slightly smaller than the African Cheetahs.
- They have pale yellowish fawn coloured skin with more fur under their body, specifically on the belly.Inserting image…
- Distribution: Found only in Iran with less than 100 individuals left.
- Protection:
- IUCN Red List: critically endangered.
- CITES: Appendix 1.
- WPA: Schedule-2.
