8 Cheetahs walk on Indian soil again: PM Modi releases the big cats in Kuno National Park

Eight cheetahs from Namibia landed in Gwalior on Saturday, as part of the programme to reintroduce the feline in India seven decades after it was declared extinct in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is celebrating his birthday, released three cheetahs in quarantine enclosures of the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh around 11.30 am. 

Also read: Cheetahs return to India: From speed, stamina, body structure, hunting skills and more - facts one must know

After the modified Boeing 747 landed at the Gwalior airbase at 7.47 am, the felines were flown in two Air Force helicopters to Palpur near the Park. A viral video showed the crates carrying the cheetahs stacked in the Boeing aircraft's economy section. 

After the plane landed at Gwalior, the ground personnel were seen helping transfer the crates, marked Live Animals, to the waiting choppers. 

The aircraft, which took off from the African country Friday night, carried the cheetahs in the special wooden crates during the around 10-hour journey. 

Before their flight from Namibia, the cheetahs, the fastest land animals in the world, were treated with a tranquillizer that lasted for three to five days. 

Also read: It's a historic step, says MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan as flight with eight cheetahs lands in India

The animals were flown to the Park in Sheopur district, 165 km away from Gwalior. The journey took about 20-25 minutes, an official said. 

The cheetahs remained without food during the transcontinental journey and will be given something to eat now that they have been released from the enclosures. 

A dais was set up in the Park under which special cages carrying cheetahs were kept, and PM Modi, who turned 72 on Saturday, released three of them into an enclosure by operating a lever. 

After that, other dignitaries released the remaining cheetahs into other enclosures. 

The cheetahs were brought in a special flight of Terra Avia, an airline based in Chisinau, Moldova, in Europe that operates chartered passenger and cargo flights. 

Also read: Meet the eight Namibian cheetahs that will run on the Indian grasslands after 70 years

The Park is situated on the northern side of the Vidhyachal mountains and is spread across 344 sq km. Officials battled heavy rain and inclement weather to complete the preparations for Modi's programme to release the big cats into their new home in Kuno. Heavy rain lashed the Gwalior-Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh two days before Modi's arrival.

Project Cheetah our endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Project Cheetah, under which the felines were reintroduced in the country after they became extinct seven decades ago, is his government's endeavour toward environment and wildlife conservation. 

The PM said it was unfortunate that we declared cheetahs extinct in 1952, but for decades no constructive efforts were made to reintroduce them. He thanked the government of Namibia for help in the programme to reintroduce cheetahs in India.

Project Cheetah, under which the cheetahs were reintroduced in the country after they became extinct seven decades ago, is our endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation, he said. 

"Cheetahs are our guests; we should give them a few months to make Kuno national park their home," Modi said.

(With inputs from PTI)