South Africa has become the latest African nation to relocate cheetahs to India after announcing on Thursday that it has entered into a pact with New Delhi to supply dozens of the big cat to the Asian country.In a statement, South Africa’s Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Re-introduction of Cheetah to India.  

“In terms of the agreement, an initial batch of 12 cheetahs are to be flown from South Africa to India during February 2023,” the ministry said. 

The plan is to translocate a further 12 annually for the next eight to 10 years, it said.

In terms of the MoU, the two countries would collaborate and exchange best practices in large carnivore conservation through the transfer of technology and training of professionals.

The initiative follows the extinction of cheetahs in India due to over-hunting and loss of habitat during the last century. 

The big cats would join eight cheetah introduced to India from Namibia in September 2022.