This 2009 BBC article reported on an effort to restore cheetahs to India after being absent for nearly 100 years.
REVITALIZATION readers familiar with the outcome (if any) of this effort are invited use the Comments section below to share their insights.
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The Indian government has approved a survey of sites which can accommodate the cheetah, in an effort to reintroduce the animal in the country.
Wildlife groups have shortlisted seven sites in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh as potential homes.
The sites include national parks, sanctuaries and other open areas.
The cheetah – the world’s fastest land animal – became extinct in India nearly a century ago.
If one or more sites are found to have favourable habitat and prey for the cheetah, India will then possibly have to import the cat from Africa, because the numbers of the Asiatic cheetah which are available only in Iran have dwindled to under 100.
Critics of the scheme in India say that without restoring habitat and prey base and the chances of a man-animal conflict, viable cheetah populations cannot be established.