Nine More Cheetahs Arrive in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno From Botswana
New Delhi: On February 28, nine adult cheetahs – six females and three males – arrived at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park from Botswana in southern Africa. With this international translocation, the total number of wild African cheetahs in India is now 48.
This is the third batch of cheetahs to arrive in India from Africa as part of Project Cheetah, India’s ambitious and much-criticised project which aims to introduce African cheetahs into select grassland habitats in India. This is the Indian government’s attempt to ‘bring back’ the species to the country. India was home to the Asiatic cheetah – a different subspecies of cheetah – until the 1950s, after the last remaining individuals fell prey to hunters.
Nine adult cheetahs from Botswana
There were 39 African cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh as of February 27. Of these, 36 (including 27 surviving cubs born here) are in Kuno National Park and 3 in the adjoining Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, also in Madhya Pradesh.
“After eight cheetahs from Namibia were first reintroduced to India on September 17, 2022, and 12 were brought from South Africa in February 2023, I am thrilled to announce the arrival of nine cheetahs from Botswana – 6 females and 3 males – at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park,” union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said in a post on X.
“With a thriving population of 39 cheetahs in India, including 28 India-born cubs, the ambitious Project Cheetah, undertaken under the environmentally-conscious leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi ji, has been a great success. I welcome our new friends from Botswana and wish they thrive and multiply in India's wild,” he said.
The cheetahs were flown into Gwalior from Botswana on an Indian Air Force aircraft, and from there to Kuno by IAF choppers, the Hindu quoted Sheopur public relations officer Avantika Shrivastava as saying.
“The cheetahs from Botswana were extended a smooth air ride to India by lAF's C17 Globemaster from 81 squadron (the Skylords), and further to Kuno by lAF's helicopters. The seamless coordination, precision flying, and unwavering commitment displayed by the lAF ensured the safe journey of these animals across continents,” Yadav said in a post on social media platform X on Saturday.
In quarantine enclosures
Yadav released the cheetahs into their quarantine enclosures or bomas in Kuno on Saturday, Kuno Field Director and Assistant Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Uttam Kumar Sharma said in a press release.
“The cheetahs will undergo mandatory health monitoring and acclimatisation protocols as per established guidelines before their eventual release into the wild,” Sharma added.
The cheetahs were also kept in quarantine in Botswana for the prescribed number of days, PTI quoted Ruben, an official from Botswana, as saying.
“The cheetahs were kept in minimum prescribed 30 days quarantine which is part of the procedure to ensure that they comply for international standards for travel, and they have handled the immobilisation very well. We are very happy to have them also looking good today as they are being released,” he told PTI.
Project Cheetah “is steadily progressing toward success”, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said in a post on social media on February 28.
“This is not merely wildlife reintroduction, but a firm resolve to establish a sustainable cheetah population in the country and restore ecological balance. Madhya Pradesh is fulfilling this historic responsibility with complete commitment. It is a matter of pride that the number of cheetahs here has now reached 48, including 28 cubs born in India. Heartfelt thanks to the esteemed Prime Minister ji for this visionary initiative,” he said.
However, this “visionary initiative” has drawn a lot of flak from numerous experts including wildlife biologists and conservationists. Experts have raised concerns that the Indian government is spending money on bringing in a different subspecies to India (the African cheetah) while it was home to the Indian cheetah previously; and that the money could instead have been spent on native Indian species that need urgent conservation action such as the Great Indian Bustard. Experts have also called Project Cheetah a “vanity project”.
वन्य जीव संरक्षण की दिशा में अग्रसर #मध्यप्रदेश
केन्द्रीय वन एवं पर्यावरण मंत्री श्री @byadavbjp ने आज @KunoNationalPrk में बोत्सवाना से लाए हुए चीते क्वारेंटाइन बाड़े में छोड़े। बोत्सवाना से 3 नर एवं 6 मादा चीते लाए गए हैं।@CMMadhyaPradesh @JansamparkMP #cheetahstate pic.twitter.com/1yFTsdr63L
— Department of Forest, MP (@minforestmp) February 28, 2026
Four, not three cubs born to Gamini
On February 18, Yadav had announced the birth of three cheetah cubs in Kuno. The cubs were born to South African cheetah Gamini. On February 27, Yadav said that the cheetah had actually given birth to four, not three, cubs.
“The presence of the fourth cub was confirmed during intensive monitoring by the field and veterinary teams. All four cubs are presently healthy and doing fine,” he said in a social media post.
The first batch of eight African cheetahs came to Kuno from Namibia in September 2022, and the second batch – comprising 12 individuals – arrived from South Africa in February 2023. Of these 20 adults, 11 died due to reasons including septicaemia, mating aggression and even drowning.
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