Bhubaneswar: If you wanted to see cheetahs but could not visit Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, don’t despair, for chances are you could see them closer home.In a first, the Odisha govt is planning to import cheetahs for Nandankanan Zoo, with the latter floating a tender to engage a private party to select a suitable zoo abroad for the transfer, possibly South Africa.Zoo officials said the private party will also facilitate transportation of a pair each of male and female cheetahs and complete other formalities, since transporting animals from a foreign zoo involves a lot of protocols.“A tender has been floated to select a private party that will oversee all operations, starting from selecting the zoo and bringing and keeping them in Nandankanan. Further approval is required from govt in terms of grant of funds, although tentatively it has been planned that help of patrons will be taken for the purpose,” said Nandankanan Zoo director Sanath Kumar.Cheetahs are a rare species, very agile, and run as fast as 120 km per hour. They follow their prey, make it restless, and then hunt. So, they require plain, meadow-rich land for the hunt. “Considering their nature and environment, they will acclimatise well, and facilities accordingly will be created at Nandankanan Zoo,” Kumar added.It must be mentioned that a male and two female African cheetahs had been housed in Mysuru zoo in 2020.Besides cheetahs, Odisha is also set to welcome two pairs of red kangaroos from Australia. “A new thematic display zone, known as Australian Adventures, will be developed with four modern enclosures designed to replicate arid grassland and woodland ecosystems. The zone will house iconic Australian fauna such as kangaroos, cassowaries and wallabies, providing an immersive interpretation of Australia’s unique biodiversity,” zoo officials said.
