Govt reveals new names for Namibian, South African cheetahs at Kuno park

Aasha, Shaurya, Daksha, Tejas, and Dheera are some of the names that people have suggested for the cheetahs that were flown from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

The cheetahs have been brought as part of India's ambitious programme -- 'Project Cheetah' -- to bring the big cat back from extinction.

Earlier on September 25, PM Modi in his monthly radio address 'Mann Ki Baat', had asked citizens to take part in contests on the MyGov platform to suggest names for the animals.

"What should be the name of the campaign on cheetahs? Can we even think of naming all these cheetahs...by what name should each of them be called," he had said.

"I request people to share their views on the naming of the campaign and cheetahs. It will be great if the naming of cheetahs is in tune with our traditions," he added.

The MyGov platform received a total of 11,565 submissions suggesting names for reintroduced cheetahs.

 

The entries were scrutinised by a selection committee and based on the significance and relevance of the suggested names for their conservation and cultural value the following new names have been selected for cheetahs for Namibian and South African cheetah.

• Aasha
• Pavan
• Nabha
• Jwala
• Gaurav
• Shaurya
• Dhatri
• Daksha
• Nirva
• Vayu
• Agni
• Gamini
• Tejas
• Veera
• Suraj
• Dheera
• Uday
• Prabhas
• Pavak

The MyGov platform had earlier received submissions suggesting names such as Veer, Pnaki, Bhairav, Brahma, Rudra, Durga, Gouri, Bhadra, Shakti, Brahaspati, Chinmayi, Chatura, Raksha, Medha, and Mayur among others for the animals.

Project Cheetah

Twelve cheetahs from South Africa arrived on February 18 in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park after South Africa signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the re-introduction of cheetahs in India to establish a viable cheetah population in the country.

Earlier, eight cheetahs brought from Namibia were released by PM Modi at Kuno National Park on the occasion of his birthday on September 17, 2022. One cheetah died due to illness recently.

Following the import of the 12 cheetahs in February, the plan is to translocate a further 12 annually for the next eight to 10 years.

The MoU on the reintroduction of cheetahs to India facilitates cooperation between the parties to establish a viable and secure cheetah population in India, promotes conservation, and ensures that expertise is shared and exchanged, and capacity is built, to promote cheetah conservation.

Under the ambitious project of the Indian Government- Project Cheetah- the reintroduction of wild species particularly cheetahs is being undertaken as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines.

India has a long history of wildlife conservation. One of the most successful wildlife conservation ventures 'Project Tiger' which was initiated way back in 1972, has not only contributed to the conservation of tigers but also to the entire ecosystem.

(With agency input)