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CNN
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South Africa has signed an agreement with India to reintroduce dozens of cheetahs to the South Asian country after eight of the big cats were sent from neighboring Namibia in 2022.
The first batch of 12 cheetahs is to be flown over in February, according to a statement Thursday from South Africa’s environmental department, which added the plan was to relocate “a further 12 annually for the next eight to 10 years.”
The statement said the aim was to “achieve a number of ecological objectives,” including restoring the role of the cheetah within India, where the endangered cats used to roam, and “enhancing the livelihood options and economies of the local communities.”
Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952 and are the only large carnivore in the country to have suffered that fate. According to a statement from India’s environment ministry, this…
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