Cheetahs in India highlights: PM Modi expresses gratitude to Namibia

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a dig at PM Modi over releasing Cheetahs. “8 cheetahs have come, now tell me, why didn't 16 crore jobs come in 8 years?,” he questioned on Twitter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged all the “countrymen” to give a standing ovation and “warmly welcome” the eight Cheetahs that have arrived in India. Watch here

PM Modi releases 8 cheetahs at Madhya Pradesh National Park - see in pictures here

Eight Cheetahs that have arrived in India from Namibia today almost after 75 years, are our guests. I urge all of you, all countrymen to give them a standing ovation & warmly welcome them: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a program of Self Help Groups in Sheopur, MP

The complete health check up was done by veterinarians, who were accompanying the cheetah from Windhoek. The veterinarians will stay at KNP for the next one month to check the cheetahs’ behaviour and health before shifting them into a soft release enclosure of six sq km.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after releasing cheetahs into Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park on Saturday, expressed his gratitude to the African nation of Namibia saying that it would have not been possible without their help.

The 750-square-kilometre (290-square-mile) protected park was selected as a home because of its abundant prey and grasslands.

Another 12 cheetahs are expected to join the fledgling Indian population next month from South Africa, Reuters reported. And as India gathers more funding for the 910 million rupee ($11.4 million) project, largely financed by the state-owned Indian Oil, it hopes to eventually grow the population to around 40 cats.

"Because our lion (Rahul Gandhi) is out on Bharat Jodo Yatra those who break India are now bringing cheetahs from abroad," tweets Cong's Pawan Khera.

“PM hardly ever acknowledges continuity in governance. Cheetah project going back to my visit to Capetown on 25.04.2010 is the latest example. The tamasha orchestrated by PM today is unwarranted and is yet another diversion from pressing national issues and Bharat Jodo Yatra,” tweets Congress spokesperson.

Cheetah populations in most countries are declining. Earlier this month, four cheetahs captured at reserves in South Africa were flown to Mozambique, where the cheetah population has drastically declined.

Cheetahs were once widespread in India and became extinct in 1952 from hunting and loss of habitat. They remain the first and only predator to die out since India’s independence in 1947, news agency AP reported.

“There has been a big increase in the number of Asiatic lions in our country Similarly, today Gujarat has emerged as the largest area of Asiatic lions in the country. Decades of hard work, research-based policies and public participation have a big role behind this,” says PM Modi.

“Nature and environment, animals and birds, for India it is not just about sustainability and security. For us, they are also the basis of our sensibility and spirituality,” says PM Modi.

'These Cheetahs are our guest, must let them make Kuno their home': says PM Modi.

This is a historic moment. Cheetahs will make us more environmentally conscious: Prime Minister

Unfortunate that we declared cheetah extinct in 1952, but for decades no constructive efforts were made to reintroduce them: PM Narendra Modi

"Today, the Cheetahs have come back to our land after decades. On this historic day, I want to congratulate all Indians and also thank the government of Namibia. This could not have been possible without their help," says Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Cheetahs, after the post import quarantine, will be soft released in larger enclosures for further acclimatization.

One of the oldest of the big cat species, with ancestors dating back about 8.5 million years, cheetahs once roamed widely throughout Asia and Africa in great numbers, said CCF. But today only around 7,000 remain, primarily in the African savannas.