The cheetah is a magnificent big cat; known to be the fastest land animal on earth. You probably know that the cheetah is capable of achieving stupendous speeds of well over 100 kmph and that cheetah populations are on the endangered list today. But, did you know that cheetahs were found in India as well, in the past? Check out this cheetah mother and cub video and read about cheetah reintroduction into India.
The regale looking cat is letting her cub literally climb all over her… liberties she wouldn’t allow anyone else.
Mothers have to be calm, don’t they? If not their energetic little bundle of joy could drive them insane.
The video is a lovely affirmation of life – or this generation nurturing the next and of the next generation learning about life under the tutelage of the mother.
People loved the short video of the beautiful feline and her adorable little cub. This is just the sort of thing to lift up anyone’s mood.
This Twitter user asks a question about the proposed reintroduction of cheetahs into the wild in India. The Asiatic cheetah was found in parts of India but was hunted into extinction. The cheetah was prized prey for Mughal, Maratha and Rajput royalty for hundreds of years and then during the British Raj as well. Cheetahs were also used by kings in the past, to hunt other animals such as deer and so on. By the early 20th century, only a few thousand Asiatic cheetahs remained in India.
The last three of the species in India were shot by Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya (in present-day Chhattisgarh) in 1948. Since then, cheetahs became extinct in India. Today, most of the 7000 strong global cheetah population is to be found in Africa, with just about 50 of the critically endangered Asiatic cheetahs found in the desert areas of Iran.
For a while, there were plans to clone Asiatic cheetahs found in Iran but these plans have been inconclusive. There were also talks over the possibility of relocating a pair from Iran into India. At present, two sites in Madhya Pradesh and one in Rajasthan have been identified as being suitable for potentially reintroducing cheetahs into the country. There is a matter pending before the Supreme Court about the possibility of reintroducing cheetahs into Indian habitats to see if they can adapt. The SC gave its nod to African cheetahs from Namibia to be brought here and relocated. A three-person committee has also been appointed in this regard.
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