Herds of spotted deer have been released into the wild in an effort to reintroduce cheetahs that went extinct in India in the 1970s.

Officials plan to release 500 deer into Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh. Footage from August 3 shows 196 being released.

While leopards are abundant in India, their close cousins, cheetahs, went extinct due to lack of protection and loss of habitat caused by a rapidly expanding population.

Indian officials are populating a large forest with spotted deer in an effort to reintroduce cheetahs that went extinct in the ‘70s.

“The deer will serve as a prey base for the cheetahs, which will be brought in from Africa over the next year and half,” said Adarsh Srivatsav, Divisional Forest Officer of Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Central India.

Five hundred deer are being brought from all over the country to populate the forest that is spread over an area of 368.62 km². A survey identified Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, which has flat terrain, as an ideal habitat for the cheetahs.

One hundred and ninety six deer have already been introduced to the sanctuary and two videos filmed on August 2nd and 3rd show officials releasing two herds into their new homes.

While leopards are abundant in India, their close cousins, cheetahs, went extinct due to lack of protection and loss of habitat caused by a rapidly expanding population.