National Zoological Park celebrates International Cheetah Day 2022
International Cheetah Day 2022: On December 4th, the National Zoological Park, Delhi Zoo, observed International Cheetah Day and Wildlife Conservation Day in New Delhi. The celebration’s goal is to raise awareness about wildlife conservation among today’s generation. The day is dedicated to encouraging people worldwide to help this animal win the race against extinction. Cheetahs are carnivores and they usually chase down their prey and then bite its throat, killing it by cutting off its air supply (suffocation).
December 2022 Current Affairs Quiz
Notably: The National Zoological Park, New Delhi (Delhi Zoo) in partnership with the Central Zoo Authority celebrated International Cheetah Day in India.
International Cheetah Day 2022: History
A special day dedicated to these incredible racing species holds roots to the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), and an American zoologist and researcher named Dr. Laurie Marker. Dr. Laurie Marker, an American zoologist, is credited with creating International Cheetah Day. Dr. Marker founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund in 1991, and in 2010, she established December 4 as International Cheetah Day. Since that year, the world has been celebrating this day.
According to reports, the day began when Dr. Marker established December 4th as International Cheetah Day in honour of Khayam, a cheetah she reared at the Wildlife Safari she owned in Oregon. Khayam was trained for the first research project in re-wilding and inspired her first trip to Namibia in 1977. Interestingly, International Cheetah Day coincides with the day for wildlife conservation. These global days are an opportunity for people to get closer to mother nature and protect other living beings from being harmed or endangered.
Timeline of crucial events:
- In the 1980s, she created a programme to educate locals to preserve cheetahs instead of killing them. The Cheetah Conservation Fund, which aims to rescue the cheetah, was established in 1991.
- Then, on December 4, 2010, Khayam’s birthday was officially recognised as International Cheetah Day for the first time. Eight cheetahs were brought to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in 2022 from Namibia, an African nation.
About the Cheetah’s: The cheetah (a big and slender cat with long legs) is popularly known as the fastest animal on earth, it can reach a top speed of 70 mph in just three seconds. Cheetahs hunt during the day, unlike most other big cats, and can weigh between 46 and 158 pounds. At present the majority of the animal is found in Namibia and South Africa. It was declared as an extinct animal in 1954 by the government. The Indian government has begun an initiative to introduce cheetahs to India from Namibia, where they would be housed in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park.