Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav will mark the International Cheetah Day on Thursday with a major step forward for wildlife conservation. He will release three cheetahs from a large enclosure into the open forest of Kuno National Park in Sheopur district. The moment will symbolize how far India has come in restoring the world's fastest land animal to its former home.
Project Cheetah was gifted to Madhya Pradesh three years ago through the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
PM Modi had launched the project on his birthday -- September 17 -- in 2022 by releasing the first batch of cheetahs in Kuno Palpur. These eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia as part of an ambitious effort to revive the species in India where it went extinct decades ago.
Since then, the number of cheetahs in Kuno Palpur and Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary has grown to thirty-two.
The project has gained national recognition including the Innovative Initiatives Award. The cheetahs have adapted remarkably well to Indian conditions. Their success is evident in the birth of six litters by five female cheetahs in just three years. Not only have the cheetahs survived. they have begun expanding their families proving that the project is both sustainable and scientifically robust.
International Cheetah Day is observed to create awareness about the challenges faced by the species, including habitat loss, shrinking prey base and poaching. The day highlights the need for determined global action to protect and restore cheetah populations.
The Kuno National Park currently has 29 cheetahs, of which 16 are roaming free. Three more will join them after their release tomorrow. The Chief Minister will arrive in Kuno to oversee the release and witness the cheetahs take their first steps into a completely natural habitat.
The Forest Department and park authorities have completed all preparations for this important event. Tracking teams, monitoring units and security arrangements have been put in place to ensure the safety of the cheetahs and study their movement closely in the coming weeks.
The release marks another milestone in India's ongoing effort to bring the cheetah back to its wilderness where it once thrived.
The event comes close on the heels of a breakthrough earlier this November when Mukhi -- an Indian born cheetah at Kuno National Park -- created history by giving birth to five cubs. Mukhi, who is 33 months old, has become the first India-born female cheetah to reproduce since Project Cheetahs inception. Her success is being hailed as a turning point for the ambitious cross-continent reintroduction programme.
When cheetahs were reintroduced to India three years ago, many conservationists wondered whether the animals would adapt, build territories or even breed in unfamiliar conditions.
Mukhi, who was born in Kuno, is the answer to all those questions. Her successful reproduction shows that cheetahs are not just surviving, but settling into the Indian landscape in a way that promises a stable future for the species.
