Cargo plane carrying cheetahs from Namibia leaves for Gwalior

Eight cheetahs will be flown to Palpur village in Sheopur district in two helicopters, including a Chinook

A file photo of the special airplane that carried eight cheetahs from Namibia to India en route Kuno-Palpur National Park in Bhopal. | Photo Credit: PTI

The special cargo flight carrying eight cheetahs from Namibia left for Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh on Friday night, a senior forest official said.

The flight carrying eight cheetahs and crew left Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, at around 8.30 pm (Indian time) and the plane is expected to land at Gwalior's Maharajpur air base at around 6 am on Saturday, Madhya Pradesh principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) Mr. J. S. Chauhan told PTI.

After necessary formalities, including paperwork, at Gwalior the cheetahs will be flown to Palpur village in Sheopur district in two helicopters, including a Chinook, he said.

From Palpur, the felines will be brought to Kuno National Park (KNP) in the Sheopur district by road and will be subsequently released in quarantine enclosures inside the sanctuary, Mr. Chauhan added.

Watch | India’s move to bring back cheetahs