Deal between South Africa and India to send dozens of cheetahs

Over the next ten years, South Africa claims it has inked a contract to bring hundreds of African cheetahs to India.

The first group of 12 cheetahs will be relocated, according to the South African environment agency, early next month.

For the following eight to ten years, it intends to send a comparable quantity each year.

Eight cheetahs were shipped to India last year from Namibia and released at Kuno National Park in the Madhya Pradesh state.

The late 1940s saw the extinction of Asian cheetahs in India due to overkill shooting and habitat loss.

The transfer of cheetahs, according to some conservationists, may not be successful because Indian reserves are close to villages with a high population density.