Current context: The Cheetah Project Steering Committee has approved the relocation of cheetahs from Kuno National Park to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh (~300 km away).

• The aim is to create a metapopulation of 60–70 cheetahs across the Kuno-Gandhi Sagar landscape, including parts of Rajasthan.

About

• Launched: 2022
• Objective: Reintroduce cheetahs in India, extinct since 1952.

Initial Introduction:

• 8 cheetahs from Namibia
• 12 from South Africa
• Casualties so far: 8 adult cheetahs and 5 cubs have died.

Implementing Agencies

• National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) – Statutory body under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

In collaboration with:

• Madhya Pradesh Forest Department
• Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
• Cheetah experts from Namibia and South Africa