After being isolated from September 17 to November 5, the cheetahs Freddie and Elton were allowed into the bigger cage.
On November 5, they were transferred from their temporary quarantine areas to an acclimatisation cage before being prepared for release into the wild. The prime minister had said yesterday that the cheetahs were doing OK.
"Great news! Am told that after the mandatory quarantine, 2 cheetahs have been released to a bigger enclosure for further adaptation to the Kuno habitat. Others will be released soon. I'm also glad to know that all cheetahs are healthy, active and adjusting well," Prime Minister Modi tweeted alongside a video of the two wild cats.
Quarantine for wild animals is recommended as standard practise before and after they are transported internationally to prevent the transmission of disease.
A member of the Centre's task group on the big cats told PTI that the cheetahs are now being kept in six enclosures and fed buffalo meat.
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Great news! Am told that after the mandatory quarantine, 2 cheetahs have been released to a bigger enclosure for further adaptation to the Kuno habitat. Others will be released soon. I’m also glad to know that all cheetahs are healthy, active and adjusting well. pic.twitter.com/UeAGcs8YmJ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 6, 2022
On September 17, during a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wild cats were reintroduced to Kuno National Park as part of the ambitious "Project Cheetah," marking the return of the big cats to India seven decades after their local extinction.
Freddy, Alton, Savannah, Sasha, Obaan, Asha, Cibili, and Saisa are the names of eight cheetahs who were progressively transported to India from Namibia. Their ages range from 30 months to 66 months. Five of the cheetahs are female, while three of them are male.