The fastest animal on the earth will once again roam the plains of India after 70 years. The forest minister of Madhya Pradesh, Vijay Shah, on Sunday said that African Cheetah will be introduced in the state’s Kuno National Park in November this year. Its been 70 years since their extinction from the Indian subcontinent.

“We have started the process of creating an enclosure for around 10 cheetahs, including Five females, to be brought from South Africa to Kuno in Sheopur district and it is going to be completed by August,” Mr Shah

The Supreme Court had also given permissions for African cheetahs to be reintroduced in India in suitable habitat and on an experimental basis. According to the procedure, Indian officials will visit South Africa for sensitisation and training activities in June and July. After completion of all the formalities and training, cheetahs will be transported in October and November. 

Kuno, located in the Chambal region, is spread over an area of over 750 sq km and has a conducive environment for the cheetah, he said. The protected area, comprising a considerable population of four-horned antelopes, chinkara, nilgai, wild boar, spotted deer and sambar, has a good prey base for the cheetahs, he said.

"According to the approved timeline sent to us by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change this week, the tentative budget outlay of 'Project Cheetah' is ₹ 1,400 lakh for this fiscal," the minister said.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is going to release the money for the project to Madhya Pradesh and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) at Dehradun next month, Mr Shah said.