Another batch of 8 cheetahs from Africa to arrive in India soon; SA team visits MP habitats
Bhopal (PTI): Eight cheetahs have been captured in Botswana in southern Africa ahead of their translocation to India under the cheetah reintroduction programme, launched in 2022 after the fastest land animal went extinct here decades ago, a senior forest official said.
The cheetahs, including two males, will be quarantined for a month and undergo a medical examination before being sent to India, the official told PTI, requesting anonymity.
"Inter-continental translocation involves several formalities. Considering these and the upcoming Christmas holidays, I can't say when the cheetahs will be flown to Kuno National Park in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh; most probably in January," he added.
When contacted, Cheetah Project field director Uttam Sharma stated that the matter was being handled by the two governments and he could not comment on it.
"We already have enclosures and facilities ready for the third batch of cheetahs, which were prepared when the animals were earlier brought from Namibia and South Africa," he added.
Meanwhile, a five-member South African delegation visited the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS), located on the boundary of Mandsaur and Neemuch districts in Madhya Pradesh, after its field visit to Kuno National Park on Thursday.
The team remained at GSWS on Friday before returning to New Delhi to fly back to South Africa, said Mandsaur Divisional Forest Officer Sanjay Raykhere.
The team appreciated the efforts of the Central and Madhya Pradesh governments and Kuno management in cheetah conservation under Project Cheetah, said field director Sharma.
The delegation comprised Anthony Mitchell, head of office and cabinet liaison for Deputy Minister Narend Singh; Kam Chetty, retired bureaucrat; Sam Ferreira, SANParks lead biologist; Brent Coverdale, animal scientist at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife; and Jeanetta Selier, senior scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
They were accompanied by Indian counterparts S P Yadav, managing director of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and advisor to Project Cheetah; Subharanjan Sen, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) of Madhya Pradesh; and Sanjayan Kumar, inspector general, NTCA, Sharma added.
On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs brought from Namibia into a special enclosure at Kuno National Park, marking the world's first intercontinental relocation of a large wild carnivore species. India later imported 12 more cheetahs from South Africa in February 2023.
Three years into the ambitious revival programme, the country now has 27 cheetahs, including 16 born on Indian soil. Of them, 24 are at Kuno and three are at GSWS.
Nineteen cheetahs- nine imported adults and 10 cubs born in India-have died from various causes since the project began, while 26 cubs have been born in Kuno so far. After importing 20 animals from Africa, India currently has a net gain of seven cheetahs over the initial number.
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Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
