Watch: PM Modi releases 8 cheetahs from Namibia at Kuno National Park

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his 72th birthday, released eight cheetahs at their new home - Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. These big cats were brought from Namibia this morning.

The cheetahs were brought from Namibia as part of programme to reintroduce the feline in India seven decades after it was declared extinct in the country.

A special cargo Boeing 747 chartered flight carrying eight cheetahs from Namibia landed at the Indian Air Force Station in Gwalior this morning. The big cats then flown in a helicopter to their new home at Kuno National Park in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh, where they were released. Out of these cheetahs, three are males and five are females.

Watch the video here.

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the reviving of an already extinct cat species is a historic step and it will boost tourism in the state.

Radio collar has been installed in all the cheetahs and the officials of the Kuno National Park will monitor their movement through satellite.

As per MP Government’s instructions, there will be a dedicated monitoring team behind each cheetah who will keep monitoring the location for 24 hours.

Under the ambitious Project Cheetah of the Indian government, the reintroduction of wild species, particularly cheetah, is being undertaken as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines.