Namibia will send African cheetahs to India following a deal signed by the two countries on Wednesday.
The southern African country will start sending eight wild cats in August.
“The cheetah is the only large carnivore that has gone extinct in India post its independence, and their introduction back has a special significance as India marks its 75th independence anniversary this year,” India's minister of environment Bhupender Yadav was quoted as saying by The Namibian.
He said the reintroduction of cheetah would also enhance local community livelihoods through eco-tourism prospects in the long term.
The South Asian country had been working to relocate the cheetahs since 2020, when the Supreme Court ruled that the animals could be introduced in a “carefully chosen location”.
India previously had Asiatic cheetahs, which became extinct within the country by 1952 mainly due to hunting and habitat loss.
India is also planning to ship in some cheetahs from South Africa.
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