Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh): India’s ambitious Project Cheetah is preparing for its next big leap, with fresh arrivals of the big cats by the end of year 2025.
According to information, the officials are in talks with Botswana, Namibia and Kenya to bring in 8-10 cheetahs from each country.
Currently, India has 27 cheetahs. Among these, 11 translocated from Africa and 16 born within the country.
Most of them are at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park which covers 748 sq km of prime cheetah habitat. Of these, around 15 cheetahs now roam freely.
To prepare for future expansion, 2 more release sites have been finalised which are Gujarat’s Banni grasslands and Madhya Pradesh’s Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary.
According to officials, the survival rates at Kuno have been promising. Cubs are surviving at a rate of 61%. This is already above the global average of 40%.
Adult survival has also been strong at nearly 86%, giving fresh hope for the project’s long-term success.
With new translocations and habitats lined up, the project is now entering its second phase of growth.
Dheera released into Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary
As part of these efforts, on September 18, a female cheetah named Dheera was moved from Kuno to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur of Madhya Pradesh.
At about 7.5 years old, Dheera completed a careful 7-hour journey in a specially designed, air-conditioned vehicle under the watch of veterinary experts and forest officials.
Officials say such translocations are vital to building a healthy, self-sustaining cheetah population across multiple sites in India.
