New Batch to Strengthen Project Cheetah and Boost Population in Kuno National Park
Published on: November 08, 2025
By: BTNI
Location: Botswana
India’s ambitious Project Cheetah has received a significant boost with the successful capture of eight cheetahs in Botswana, southern Africa, who are now being prepared for translocation to the country. These cheetahs will soon be transferred to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, where earlier batches from Namibia and South Africa have already been released under the rewilding initiative.
A senior forest department official confirmed that all eight cheetahs are currently healthy and undergoing rigorous medical examinations, quarantine protocols, and adaptation monitoring before the international journey. The transfer will take place via specially arranged cargo aircraft, adhering to international wildlife translocation standards.
Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952, primarily due to hunting and habitat loss. To restore ecological balance and revive the species, India launched Project Cheetah in September 2022, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first set of cheetahs brought from Namibia. Later, in 2023, 12 more cheetahs arrived from South Africa, making Kuno the center of the world’s only large-scale cheetah reintroduction program.
However, the project has faced hurdles, including adaptation challenges, extreme weather conditions, territorial conflicts, and disease-related mortalities. These issues led to national and international conservation debates. Experts clarify that the reintroduction of extinct species is a long, step-by-step process, requiring patience, strict monitoring, and scientific habitat management.
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The arrival of the new batch from Botswana is expected to improve genetic diversity, crucial for long-term breeding and stable population development. Conservation authorities and researchers have been continuously studying habitat patterns, prey base, and landscape coordination to ensure both protection and natural movement of the animals.
Meanwhile, the local communities living around Kuno are being trained and sensitized to support human-wildlife coexistence, helping reduce risks of conflict. Education and involvement of local forest dwellers are being seen as key factors in the success of the program.
This development also aligns with President Droupadi Murmu’s ongoing state visit to Botswana, where wildlife conservation was highlighted as an important area of cooperation between the two nations. The progress reinforces India’s role as a global leader in biodiversity conservation and showcases its commitment to restoring species lost to history.
Environmentalists have welcomed the decision, calling it a vital step towards restoring ecological balance and biodiversity resilience in central India.
