The Maputo Special Reserve received four cheetahs, "for the first time since the 1960s," an endangered species in the country, the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) announced today, in a statement.

The four felines, from two private South African game reserves, arrived in Mozambique on Friday, where they will be "carefully monitored daily by the reserve management" since their release.

"The reintroduction of the cheetah is a measure aimed not only at managing the reserve's ecological capacity to accommodate herbivores, but also the addition of an endangered species that can be observed by those visiting the reserve," said Mateus Mutemba, ANAC's director general, quoted in the document.

The cheetahs were quarantined for three weeks in order to adapt. According to the institution, this is the first stage of the reintroduction process of this animal, considered to be "the fastest land mammal in the world.

According to ANAC, almost 5000 animals have been translocated over the past decade under the reserve's repopulation program, including elephants, buffalo, giraffe, impala, kudus, inhalas, and zebras.

Occupying an area of 1,040 square kilometers, the Maputo Special Reserve was established in 1960 and is located 68 kilometers from the center of the capital, Maputo.

The government and partners have been implementing several projects to preserve the ecosystem in this area, which is considered a wildlife sanctuary near the coast and also at the southernmost border between Mozambique and South Africa.

Lusa Agency