India is preparing to welcome a new batch of 8-10 African cheetahs by December under its ambitious Cheetah Reintroduction Project, with advanced talks underway with Namibia, Botswana and Kenya. Officials say the move marks a significant consolidation phase of the programme, which has shown encouraging signs after a challenging start.
Launched in September 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday, Project Cheetah brought the world's fastest land animal back to India more than 70 years after it was declared extinct in the wild.
It was also the world's first intercontinental large carnivore translocation effort. The programme began with the release of eight cheetahs from Namibia into Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, followed by the arrival of 12 more from South Africa in February 2023.
Survival Rates Exceed Global Average
Of the 20 translocated cheetahs, 11 have survived - three from Namibia and eight from South Africa. More significantly, the programme has seen encouraging reproductive success, with 26 cubs born in India. Sixteen of these cubs have survived, giving a survival rate of 61.05% - well above the global average of around 40%.
The project currently manages 27 cheetahs across Indian habitats, including 15 free-ranging individuals in Kuno: 10 sub-adults, three adult females and two males. Officials note that while adult cheetah survival was around 70% in the first year, it improved to 85.71% in the second year, reflecting increasing adaptation to Indian conditions.
Learning, Relearning, and Adaptation
Officials and scientists involved with the project acknowledge that the first year came with steep learning curves. "When the cheetahs first arrived, they had thick winter coats from Southern Africa, which made them vulnerable to India's warmer climate," one senior scientist explained.
Adjustments in management - such as using the soft release method, ensuring adequate prey availability, and improving acclimatisation enclosures - have since helped overcome these hurdles.
Every cheetah is closely monitored with the help of radio collars, which officials insist do not pose health risks. There are nine veterinarians on the ground and at least three monitoring personnel for each animal.
This constant tracking has also given scientists fresh behavioural insights. For instance, a mother cheetah with four cubs trekked out of Kuno to a neighbouring forest, stayed for nearly a month, and returned safely - an encouraging sign of range establishment.
Expanding Habitats Beyond Kuno
With Kuno nearing its capacity, the government is working to expand the cheetah landscape. The Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh is being developed as a second home for the species. Officials there are relocating leopards, which compete with cheetahs for prey, and boosting ungulate populations to ensure adequate food supply.
In September this year, a female cheetah named Dheera, aged 7.5 years, was released into Gandhisagar on the Prime Minister's birthday, signalling the sanctuary's readiness to host new groups.
Beyond Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat's Banni grasslands and MP's Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary are also being prepared as future release sites.
Officials stress that separating groups across landscapes is important for genetic diversity and long-term fitness.
"The first batches came from Southern Africa. We do not want to mix populations too early, so we are ensuring multiple secure habitats before bringing in the next set," said an NTCA official.
Targets and Long-Term Goals
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which oversees Project Cheetah, has set an ambitious target: to introduce 8-14 cheetahs annually for at least five years, subject to availability, to create a founder population in India. The long-term vision is to establish a metapopulation of cheetahs across multiple sites, allowing natural dispersal, breeding and expansion.
High-level delegations from Namibia, Botswana and South Africa visited India between June and September this year to discuss future transfers. "Talks are advanced. We expect the next batch of 8-10 cheetahs to arrive by the end of 2025," said a source familiar with the negotiations.
Borrowing Lessons from Project Tiger
Project officials say the experience of managing tigers has been invaluable. "When cheetahs were first brought in, we were told they did not drink water. But here we have seen them queue up at water holes. These learnings are unique to Indian conditions, and we are constantly adapting," one official remarked.
The strategy has been to borrow principles from Project Tiger - habitat restoration, prey augmentation, community engagement, and scientific monitoring - while tailoring them to cheetah ecology.
In some cases, like conflict mitigation and managing competing predators, existing tiger conservation models have been directly applied to the cheetah project.
A Personal Project for the PM
Officials often note that the project is personally significant to PM Modi, who has described it as "historic" in India's conservation journey. On both his 2022 and 2025 birthdays, milestones in Project Cheetah have been marked with special releases into the wild.
The Road Ahead
While challenges remain-such as maintaining genetic diversity, ensuring adequate prey in new habitats, and minimising conflicts - the government and scientists say early indicators are promising.
"The cub survival rate of over 61% is a very strong beginning. It tells us that with adaptive management, India can not only host cheetahs but also help them thrive," said an NTCA source.
As India prepares to receive the next batch of cheetahs, conservationists see the effort as a new chapter in the country's long tradition of big cat protection.
It was Project Tiger, launched in 1973, that turned India into the global stronghold of the species, taking the population from around 1,800 tigers then to more than 3,000 today.
With survival rates already exceeding global averages, Project Cheetah could well emerge as India's next big conservation success story.
