Project Cheetah Wins Innovative Initiative Award

• 12 Sep 2025

Why in News?

Project Cheetah has been honored with the prestigious 'Innovative Initiative Award' at the 3rd Eco Warrior Awards, which was hosted by the Indian Forest Service (IFS) Association and Indian Mastermind in Delhi.

• The award was presented to Uttam Sharma, the field director of Project Cheetah.

Key Points

• About: The Eco Warrior Awards recognize exceptional efforts in conservation and sustainability. 
  • The IFS Association specifically chose Project Cheetah for its remarkable achievement in reviving an extinct species in India and for its commitment to involve local communities in the project's success.
• Newsletter: As the project marked its third anniversary, the forest department also released a special newsletter documenting the journey of Project Cheetah from the arrival of the first cheetahs at Kuno National Park in 2022 to the successful births of cubs and ongoing habitat management efforts.

Project Cheetah

• About: Project Cheetah (Cheetah Reintroduction Project) was launched in 2022, with the aim to reintroduce cheetahs to India (declared extinct in 1952) as part of global cheetah conservation efforts. 
• Implementing Agencies: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, and Wildlife Institute of India (WII). 
• Implementation: Phase 1 involved translocating cheetahs from Namibia (2022) and South Africa (2023) to Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. 
  • Under Phase-2 of the Project India is considering sourcing cheetahs from Kenya due to similar habitats. 
    • Cheetahs will be translocated to Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh).