Namibia and India on Wednesday signed an agreement for cheetahs from Namibia to be translocated to the Kuno National Park in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India.

The Office of the High Commissioner of India to Namibia issued a statement saying the agreement was signed on Wednesday during a session of the 17th Exim-Bank Conclave on India-Africa Growth Partnership.

Namibia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, and India’s Minister of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, signed the agreement.

Wild cheetahs are extinct in India, while Namibia has the largest population of cheetahs worldwide.

The transferring of the cheetahs would therefore mean a re-introduction of cheetahs to the South Asian country.

“In addition, these cheetahs would become goodwill ambassadors of Namibia to India at its 75th independence anniversary on 15 August this year, a gesture deeply appreciated by the people of India,” said the statement.

It further noted that preparations and training on how to handle the translocation process are underway, and are being facilitated by the founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, Dr Laurie Marker.

On her part, Nandi-Ndaitwah at the session stated that Namibia and India have 23 active signed bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries dating back to the 1990s.

Nandi-Ndaitwah noted that several other agreements related to wildlife conservation and technology will be signed by the two countries before her return to Namibia during this week.

“Namibia and India also have huge trade volumes, which makes India the second strategic trade partner to South Africa,” she said.

Namibia imports largely petroleum products from India, said Nandi-Ndaitwah.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency