Nine cheetahs from Botswana arrive at MP's Kuno National Park
Sheopur (MP)(PTI): Nine more cheetahs from Botswana landed safely at Kuno National Park (KNP) on Saturday, taking India’s total count of the big cats to 48, an official said.
The third batch of cheetahs from Africa arrived on IAF aircraft as part of a four-year population revival plan, the official said.
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav will release the big cats into enclosures readied at the park, he said.
The new batch from Botswana was flown in to Gwalior on an Indian Air Force aircraft, and from there, IAF choppers transported them to KNP, Sheopur public relations officer Avantika Shrivastava told reporters.
This was the third batch of cheetahs arriving from Africa, following earlier introductions from Namibia and South Africa, officials said.
The IAF has assisted the cheetah revival programme by bringing them from Africa. It had transported the animals from South Africa in February 2023, and brought big cats that arrived from Namibia in September 2022, Project Cheetah Director Uttam Sharma said.
"The arrival of more cheetahs will strengthen India's cheetah revival programme. With the support of the Central government, we aim to increase the population to 50 as soon as possible," he said.
Three cheetahs have been relocated to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, while 36 have remained at KNP, he said.
Officials said endangered animals are usually not kept in a single habitat due to the risk of disease outbreaks that can wipe out their entire population at one go.
The cheetah, the world's fastest land animal, became extinct in India nearly seven decades ago.
Last year, 12 cubs were born in the park, though six — including three cubs — did not survive. This year, between February 7 and February 18, nine cubs were born in two litters. In total, 39 cubs have been born at KNP since 2023, of which 27 have survived.
Namibia-born Jwala and Aasha, South Africa-born Gamini, Veera and Nirva, and India-born Mukhi have all produced litters at the park.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
