African cheetahs airlifted to India after going extinct there more than 70 years ago

The global population of cheetahs is between 6,500 to 7,100, according to a list of threatened animals from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Africa is home to most of the cheetahs, which are extinct across Asia, except in Iran. The are disappearing in large part because of poaching, shrinking habitats and a loss of prey.

“To save cheetahs from extinction, we need to create permanent places for them on Earth. India has areas of grassland and forest habitat, which are appropriate for this species,” said Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, an international nonprofit that has helped the Indian and Namibian governments with the relocation effort.

Under the elaborate plan, five female cheetahs and three males, between the ages of 2 and 6 years, were flown on a chartered Boeing 747 jet from Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, to Gwalior in central Madhya Pradesh state. (Organizers had previously said the cheetahs would be first sent to northern India.) The animals were then moved in a chopper to nearby Kuno National Park , where they will be housed, said…