Supreme Court stayed Union Government’s Decision to reintroduce the Cheetah in India

The Supreme Court of India on 10 May 2012, directed the union government to put off its decision to reintroduce the cheetah in India. The big cats faced extinction in the sub-continent nearly a decade ago.

The government was planning to import Cheetah from Africa, while the plan was not discussed with the National Board for Wildlife, a statutory body for the enforcement of wildlife laws in India. The court, while pronouncing its order, took note of the scientific studies, which showed that the Asian cheetahs and African cheetahs are completely different, both genetically and also in their characteristics.

Wild life sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh and Rajsthan were slated to be the two spots where the imported Cheetahs were to be kept. The big cats were hunted to extinction from India decades ago, conservationists say that fewer than 100 of cheetahs remain in Iran while the vast majority of the 10000 cheetahs left in the world are in Africa.