Eight cheetahs from Namibia were flown on a special cargo plane to the Indian city of Gwalior on Saturday, a part of an ambitious project to reintroduce the domestically extinct animal to the country. The project included five female and three male cheetahs.

Later on Saturday, three of the animals were released into the wild by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Kuno National Park. Modi's appearance at the new sanctuary south of the capital New Delhi coincided with the politician's 72nd birthday.

"I thank our friendly country Namibia and the government there, with whose cooperation the cheetahs have returned to Indian soil after decades," Modi said in his speech, according to Indian media.

In the past, India was home to Asiatic cheetahs but the species was declared extinct domestically in 1952.

Flying on a 'Cat plane'

The cheetahs from Namibia were moved from a game park north of the capital Windhoek by road before boarding a chartered Boeing 747 some refer to as the "Cat plane". They landed at a military air base in India after an 11-hour flight. 

After being transported to Kuno via helicopter, they were released into a quarantine enclosure by Modi, who was seen sporting a fedora hat and photographing the big cats with a professional camera.

The cheetahs will remain in the enclosure for monitoring in the immediate future. 

South African cheetahs are visually identical to the Asiatic cheetah, but they do have some genetic differences. As the Asiatic cheetah remains on the brink of extinction, their African cousins are India's best hope.

While critics have warned that the Namibian cheetahs may struggle to adapt to the Indian habitat, organizers remain unfazed.

"Cheetahs are very adaptable and (I'm) assuming that they will adapt well into this environment. So I don't have a lot of worries," said Dr. Laurie Marker, founder of the Namibia-based charity Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF).

Hundreds of animals needed

The Indian journey to reintroduce cheetahs in the wild started over a decade ago, with the "African Cheetah Introduction Project in India" in 2009. Last year, the plan to introduce the animal was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, DW reported on South African cheetahs getting ready to be transported to India and Mozambique to help with the population growth.

"For a genetically viable population in India in the long term, you need at least 500 individuals. So we are going to send 8-12 animals every year to top them up, to increase their numbers, to bring in new genetics until they have a viable population," said Vincent van der Merwe, the Cheetah Metapopulation Initiative Manager.

see/dj (AFP, dpa)