changeadminA high-level review meeting of Project Cheetah was held today under the chairmanship of the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Mr Bhupender Yadav, to assess the programme’s progress and deliberate on the future course of action.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the MoEFCC, project experts, and senior field officers involved in wildlife conservation across the country.
Launched in 2022, Project Cheetah is India’s pioneering initiative to reintroduce the cheetah, which was officially declared extinct in the country in 1952.
The programme was initiated by the translocation of an initial batch of 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa. Earlier this year, the initiative was subsequently supplemented by 9 cheetahs from Botswana, through coordinated international cooperation and scientific planning.
The project has achieved encouraging outcomes despite the inherent challenges of wildlife translocation. The current population stands at 53 cheetahs, of which 33 are Indian-born.
This reflects significant growth driven by successful acclimatisation and reproduction in Indian conditions. Survival rates of introduced individuals and cubs have been found to be in line with, and in certain cases better than, global benchmarks, demonstrating the effectiveness of scientific management and monitoring protocols.
The implementation strategy adopts a landscape-based approach for long-term sustainability. Kuno National Park has been developed as the primary site for the establishment of the population, while Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary has been prepared as an additional habitat to support further expansion.
These sites are part of a larger, interconnected landscape across central India that facilitates dispersal and genetic exchange. Preparatory work is also underway to expand the project to new areas, including the Banni grasslands in Gujarat, where habitat readiness and prey augmentation measures have reached satisfactory levels.
Scientific monitoring indicates that cheetahs are adapting well to Indian conditions, with stable ranging behaviour, effective prey utilisation, and no significant physiological stress observed across different management settings.
The next phase of the project will focus on consolidation and expansion through additional translocations, the development of new sites, such as Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, and the strengthening of a metapopulation framework across identified landscapes.
Sustained sourcing of cheetahs from African countries is envisaged to maintain genetic diversity and support population growth.
Project Cheetah continues to make steady progress and stands as a globally significant conservation initiative. With continued scientific guidance, institutional support and coordinated implementation, the project is well-positioned for long-term success and is expected to contribute substantially to cheetah conservation and restoration of open natural ecosystems in the country.
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