Rapid Fire
Botswana Cheetah Translocation to India
- 02 Mar 2026
- 2 min read
Nine cheetahs arrived from Botswana at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, marking a significant milestone in India's ambitious cheetah reintroduction project.
- Current Population Status: With this addition, India's cheetah count now stands at 48, which includes 29 Indian-born cubs born at Kuno National Park.
- Previous Introductions: The first batch of 8 cheetahs from Namibia was reintroduced in September 2022, followed by 12 cheetahs from South Africa in February 2023.
- Botswana's Cheetah Significance: Botswana hosts approximately 24% of the global cheetah population of 7,100 individuals. Notably, 76.9% of Botswana's cheetahs live on community and commercial farmlands rather than protected areas, making them uniquely adapted to sharing landscapes with human activity and livestock.
Project Cheetah
- About: Launched in 2022 under Project Tiger, Project Cheetah aims to bring cheetahs back to India that became extinct in 1952. It is the world's first intercontinental wild carnivore translocation project.
- Governance Framework: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) serves as the implementing agency, working alongside the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). In 2023, a Steering Committee was constituted to oversee and guide the project's implementation.
- Cheetah Habitat Designation: Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh) currently serve as the primary habitats for translocated cheetahs, with Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh) identified for future expansion of the cheetah landscape.
- Community Engagement: The project is supported by over 350 'Cheetah Mitras' working at the grassroots level to raise local awareness and mitigate potential human-wildlife conflict.
| Read More: Project Cheetah and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary |
