Can India Reintroduce Asian Cheetah? South Africa's Expert Explains
NDTV
Vincent van der Merwe, a veterinarian closely involved in India's cheetah project, said there were only 30 to 40 Asian cheetahs left in the region, all of them in Iran
It would be impossible for India to reintroduce the Asiatic cheetahs because there are only a few left and that is why it had to choose South African cheetahs, according to a leading expert here.
Vincent van der Merwe, a veterinarian who is closely involved in the project which will see 12 South African cheetahs land at Gwalior Air Force base on Saturday morning, explained that there were only about 30 to 40 Asian cheetahs left in the Asia region, all of them in Iran.
"So, it would be impossible for India to take cheetahs from Asia for this reintroduction because there are a few left. Maybe one day we might be able to save the Asiatic cheetah. It's a very different-looking cheetah, but this is a species that is essentially at the end of the run," he said.
Van der Merwe said the Asian cheetah had once been endemic to all of Asia but had been rendered extinct through centuries of agricultural growth encroaching on their territory.
