Famous cheetah expert Vincent van der Merwe who settled cheetahs in Kuno of MP passes away, played a key role in PM Modi's dream Cheetah Project

Who was Vincent van der Merwe: The famous cheetah expert who settled cheetahs in Kuno of Madhya Pradesh is no more among us. South African conservationist Vincent van der Merwe, who played a key role behind the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Dream Cheetah Project', has passed away. Merwe's body has been found in Riyadh. Merwe was working on a project to resettle cheetahs in Saudi Arabia. His death has sent a wave of grief among wildlife conservationists around the world.

Footage showed that Merwe suddenly fell 

Vincent van der Merwe's organization TMI works to boost the population of cheetahs and protect them. His organization 'The Metapopulation Initiative' was working on a plan to settle cheetahs in collaboration with the Saudi Arabian government these days. Vincent had gone to Riyadh in this connection. Vincent's body was found in the hallway of his apartment building in Riyadh. CCTV footage showed that Merwe suddenly fell and got a head injury. He died due to serious injuries.

Was the founder of TMI

Vincent was born in South Africa in 1983. His love for wildlife led him to a brilliant career in conservation biology. He was the founder of 'The Metapopulation Initiative' (TMI). He made many efforts to increase and protect the cheetah population. Vincent successfully resettled cheetahs in various sanctuaries.

Project has expanded

Vincent's 'Cheetah Metapopulation Project' started with 217 cheetahs in 41 wildlife sanctuaries in South Africa. Today the project has expanded to 537 cheetahs in 75 sanctuaries in South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and India.

Key role in settling cheetahs in MP

Vincent played a key role in the success of PM Narendra Modi's 'Project Cheetah' in India. Vincent was deeply involved in Narendra Modi's ambitious 'Project Cheetah'. Under this project, cheetahs were rehabilitated in Kuno National Park of Madhya Pradesh. His role was very important in acclimatizing the cheetahs brought to India from Namibia and South Africa to Indian conditions.

Prakash Kumar Pandey