CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -The fastest terrestrial animal, the cheetah, was reintroduced into India on Saturday, 70 years after it was formally declared extinct in 1952. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the big cats in the park on the occasion of his 72nd birthday.

Detailed explanation-2: -The cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952.

Detailed explanation-3: -Cheetahs were once widespread in India and became extinct in 1952 from hunting and loss of habitat. They remain the first and only predator to die out since India’s independence in 1947. India hopes importing African cheetahs will aid efforts to conserve the country’s threatened and largely neglected grasslands.

Detailed explanation-4: -In 1947, the last known Asiatic cheetah was shot by Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo from the princely state of Koriya in what is today known as Chhattisgarh. By 1952, the species was declared extinct in India.

Detailed explanation-5: -On 17 September 2022, 8 cheetahs from Namibia arrived in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, where they were released as part of the programme to reintroduce the feline in India. Out of the 8 cheetahs, 5 are female and 3 are male.