Appalling display of negligence: Varun Gandhi’s swipe at Centre’s cheetah import plan

NEW DELHI: With the central government revealing plans to import more cheetahs from South Africa, BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Saturday said India should focus on conserving its own endangered species and habitats.

“Importing cheetahs from Africa and allowing nine of them to die in a foreign land is not just cruelty; it’s an appalling  display of

negligence,” he wrote on X.

In an interview with PTI, Project Cheetah head SP Yadav said the next batch of cheetahs would be imported from South Africa and introduced into Madhya Pradesh’s Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, which is expected to be ready to welcome the spotted felines by the end of the year.

Gandhi said, “We should focus on conserving our own endangered species and habitats rather than contributing to the suffering of these magnificent creatures. This reckless pursuit of exotic animals must end immediately, and we should prioritise the welfare of our native wildlife instead.”

Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi ridiculed the announcement, saying, “After the wildly successful project of Cheetas from Namibia (9 dead already)lo & behold Cheetas from South Africa (sic).”

Cartoonist Satish Acharya urged the government to “spare the cheetahs”, a sentiment echoed by many X users.

Many, however, backed the move.

“I fully support this. People should stop emotionally venting. India is attempting something very difficult I.e. reintroducing cheetahs to the wild and must take all efforts necessary,” wrote one user on X.

Project Cheetah, India’s ambitious initiative to reintroduce cheetahs after their extinction in the country, marks its first anniversary on Sunday.