Govt planning to get cheetah from SAfrica for translocation

Bhopal, Sep 12 (PTI) With Iran refusing to give cheetah
to India for translocation, Union Minister of State for
Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday that
efforts would be made to get this animal either from South
Africa, Kenya or Namibia.

"Iran has refused to give cheetah that has become
extinct in India," Ramesh told reporters here.

"Efforts will be made to secure cheetah either from
Kenya, South Africa or Namibia," he added.

The minister said that experts sounded pessimistic
over the plans to reintroduce cheetah in India at the
consultative meeting recently held at Bikaner in Rajasthan.

About reports suggesting that cheetah to be brought from
a foreign country might be translocated in the wild of Madhya
Pradesh, Ramesh said that such a suggestion was made at the
meeting.

About the translocation of lions from Gujarat to Madhya
Pradesh, he said that he had already talked to Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi twice on the issue. (MORE) PTI