A specially customised aircraft with a tiger painted on its face is in Namibia for a very special reason— to bring 8 cheetahs to India. Cheetahs, the fastest land animals, went completely extinct in India by 1952 mostly due to over-hunting and habitat loss.
In an attempt to reintroduce the animals in the country, 5 female and 3 male cheetahs are being flown from Windhoek as part of the inter-continental translocation project— in a pact signed between the two countries.
The aircraft will land in India on the 17 September in Jaipur from where the animals will be taken to Kuno National Park in MP's Sheopur district in helicopters. PM Narendra Modi, on his birthday, will be there to release the animals into their new home.
The High Commission of India in Namibia released a picture of the aircraft that will carry the animals to India. The caption reads, "A special bird touches down in the Land of the Brave to carry goodwill ambassadors to the Land of the Tiger."
The B747 jumbo jet has been customised to carry the animal cages securely and safely and it will fly directly from Namibia to India.
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