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India and Botswana connected Wednesday (November 12, 2025) formally announced the translocation of 8 Cheetahs from the African federation during the State sojourn of President Droupadi Murmu.
Thanking her counterpart President Duma Gideon Boko and the radical of 1 of the world's largest diamond producing countries for the gesture, President Murmu assured Mr. Boko that India volition instrumentality bully attraction of the animals.
Botswana volition symbolically manus implicit the large cats to Ms. Murmu connected Thursday. The 2 heads of State volition preside implicit an lawsuit wherever 5 of the 8 captured cheetahs volition beryllium released into a quarantine installation astatine Mokolodi quality reserve, marking the symbolic handing implicit of the hunting cats to India by Botswana arsenic portion of ‘Project Cheetah’ and nether a communal inaugural for wildlife conservation.
The cheetahs person been brought to the quality reserve, 10 km southbound of Gaborone, from Ghanzi municipality located successful Kalahari desert. The remainder of the cheetahs volition articulation the quarantine centre soon, Mr. Boko said.
Botswana is simply a landlocked federation whose 70% landmass is covered by the Kalahari desert.
The 8 cheetahs are expected to scope India successful a fewer months aft undertaking quarantine procedures.
“It gives maine peculiar pleasance to enactment that Botswana is to reintroduce cheetahs into India nether Project Cheetah, which is simply a unsocial wildlife conservation inaugural of the Government of India,” Ms. Murmu said.
“I americium thankful to the President and radical of Botswana for sending their Cheetahs to India. We volition instrumentality bully attraction of them,” she said during a property briefing held astatine the President's bureau here.
Ms. Murmu arrived for a three-day State sojourn to the state connected Tuesday. This is the archetypal sojourn by an Indian President to the state located successful confederate Africa.
President Boko added that, arsenic portion of a biodiversity cooperation, the determination to donate the cheetahs volition enactment to assistance regeneration of the colonisation of the large feline successful India.
The Botswana President said helium was informed that among the cheetahs was 1 who was named Duma, similar his name, quipping that this was a sanction for speed, agility and quality to pounce erstwhile required.
“We anticipation that wherever they are named Duma, you volition springiness the name, wherever they are not, you volition springiness your name...,” helium said, leaving the assemblage successful smiles.
The 2 leaders were addressing the media aft the delegation level talks betwixt the 2 sides.
On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released 8 cheetahs brought from Namibia into a peculiar enclosure astatine Kuno National Park successful Madhya Pradesh, marking the world's archetypal intercontinental relocation of a ample chaotic carnivore species.
India aboriginal imported 12 much cheetahs from South Africa successful February 2023.
Three years into the ambitious revival programme, the state present has 27 cheetahs, including 16 calved connected Indian soil. Of them, 24 are astatine Kuno and 3 are astatine the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS), located connected the bound of Mandsaur and Neemuch districts successful Madhya Pradesh.
Nineteen cheetahs — 9 imported adults and 10 cubs calved successful India — person died from assorted causes since the task began, portion 26 cubs person been calved successful Kuno truthful far. After importing 20 animals from Africa, India presently has a nett summation of 7 cheetahs implicit the archetypal number.
The 2 Presidents besides oversaw the speech of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) successful the wellness assemblage betwixt the elder officials of the 2 sides.
Mr. Boko said the MoU connected practice successful the wellness assemblage was important arsenic India is 1 of the foremost manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, particularly of generic drugs.
This practice volition beryllium successful the pharmacopeia domain excessively truthful that prime medicines are facilitated successful his country, an country of acute occupation for Botswana, helium said. The pact volition assistance citizens of Botswana get entree to affordable and prime medicines, Mr. Boko added.
Ms. Murmu declared that a determination has besides been taken by India to nonstop to Botswana a consignment of ARV (antiretroviral therapy) medicines connected Gaborone's request.
The sojourn besides assumes value successful presumption of the approaching 60th day of the constitution of diplomatic ties betwixt our 2 countries successful 2026, she said, adding, her question to Botswana was an important milestone successful bilateral relations.
“Our improvement concern is based connected the ideals of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas aur Sabka Prayaas' (together with everyone's growth, spot and efforts),” the President said, adding the sojourn volition fortify the multi-faceted ties betwixt the 2 nations.
Mr. Boko called Ms. Murmu's sojourn arsenic a historic, important and singular lawsuit arsenic it came 60 years aft the constitution of diplomatic relations betwixt the 2 countries. “Your sojourn comes astatine the astir opportune time. We volition enactment with India to fortify initiatives related to translation of Botswana's system and revival of our country,” helium added.
Ms. Murmu besides underlined that she had a “productive” gathering with President Boko and they discussed a “full range” of bilateral, determination and planetary issues.
The President added that the 2 countries person agreed to grow their practice successful cardinal sectors specified arsenic commercialized and investment, agriculture, health, education, defence and integer exertion among others.
“India is committed to moving intimately with Botswana to further deepen its ties, and to expanding its concern with Africa, including wrong the model of the India-Africa Forum Summit,” she said.
The President noted that determination was a increasing information of Indian companies successful Botswana’s economical development, peculiarly successful the diamond sector.
She aboriginal besides took a circuit of the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) of Botswana.
