Cheetah reappears

HYDERABAD: The three cheetahs brought in February to the Nehru Zoological Park here have now been put on display. S Vijayarama Raju, minister for forests, environment and science and technology, welcomed visitors to view the cheetahs on Saturday.Speaking to newsmen, the minister said cheetahs had become extinct in the country 50 years ago and their reappearance was likely to draw more visitors to the zoo. “We got the three cheetahs from Dvur Kralove Zoo in Czech Republic by exchanging lions under the guidance of the Zoo Authority of India. The Nehru Zoological Park has sent one pair of Asiatic lions to the Dvur Kralove Zoo.“As the Hyderabad zoo has no zebras, we plan to bring a pair of zebras too, and a male giraffe as we have one female giraffe at the zoo,” Vijayarama Raju said.Only one cheetah was being displayed currently as there could be compatibility problems if all the three were released at a time. The other two animals would be released into the enclosure after they get properly used to the atmosphere, he said.As per the deal, the Kralove Zoo was supposed to send a pair of felines but one female cheetah could not be flown  as it is pregnant. “The female cheetah will be sent in a year,” Mallikarjuna Rao, director of AP Zoo, said.