Cheetahs return to India, PM Modi releases majestic wild cats - Check out some interesting facts about them

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (September 17, 2022) released cheetahs flown in from Namibia into a special enclosure at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh. PM Modi also clicked some pictures of the cheetahs on a professional camera after releasing them.

The cheetahs were declared extinct from India in 1952 but today 8 cheetahs (5 females and 3 males) were brought from Africa`s Namibia as part of `Project Cheetah` and the government`s efforts to revitalise and diversify the country`s wildlife and habitat. The animals were later flown to the KNP, located in Sheopur district, in two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters.

Radio collars have been installed in all the cheetahs to be monitored through satellite. Apart from this, there is a dedicated monitoring team behind each cheetah who will be monitoring their location for 24 hours.

India will be home to the world’s fastest land animal again after the feline was declared extinct in the country in 1952. Five female and three male cheetahs reached the Kuno-Palpur National Park today.

Cheetahs can live up to 20 years in captivity and in wild they can live up to 14 years. cheetahs' weight averages between 77 and 143 pounds.

It may be noted that cheetahs are the most vulnerable of the world’s big cats. The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently lists the cheetah as vulnerable to extinction. Cheetahs face extinction pressure from climate change, hunting by humans, and habitat destruction, which is reducing the size of their populations. The cheetahs have become endangered due to their loss of living space.

According to the experts, their prey includes gazelles, antelopes, birds, hares and rodents. They generally prey upon wild species and avoid hunting domestic livestock. However, sick or injured and old or young or inexperienced cheetahs may hunt livestock too. 

Did you know that a cheetah can clock 100 metres in just three seconds, faster than most cars, but cannot maintain its top speed for more than half a minute? Delhi-based wildlife journalist and writer Kabir Sanjay has shared some of the interesting facts about them. Read on! 

- The cheetah is a sprinter and not a marathon runner. Since it cannot sustain speed chases for long, it must catch the prey in 30 seconds or less.

- If the cheetah fails to make a kill quickly, it gives up. Hence, it has a dismal hunting success rate of 40 to 50 percent," he says.

- Even the cheetah gets its prey, it usually becomes exhausted after chasing and has to rest for quite a while. This is the reason why other carnivores, like leopards, hyenas and wild dogs, often rob its prey.

- Even vultures can chase the cheetah away. It does not have the same power and strength as other big cats, Sanjay says in his book 'Cheetah: Bharatiya Janglon Ka Ghum Shehzada'.

- The animal's body is designed for speed: large lungs and nostrils to take in a lot of oxygen and an oversized heart to quickly pump a lot of blood containing oxygen around its body.

- The species has distinctive black tear stripes running from the eyes to the mouth. The stripes protect the eyes from the sun's glare.

- Unlike other big cats, cheetahs are active during the day -- they hunt in early morning and late afternoon. Lone adult cheetahs hunt every two to five days. They need to drink water every three or four days.

- Cheetahs’ bodies are uniquely adapted to help them reach top speeds. Their limbs and spine give them their long stride.

- The experts said that female cheetahs lead solitary lives. They only pair up to mate and then stick with their cubs while raising them. Males are usually solitary, but brothers will often live in groups called coalitions and hunt together.

- Unlike other big cats, including lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars, cheetahs don't roar. They growl when there is danger, and usually only chirp, purr and meow.

(With agency inputs)