Nine cheetahs from Botswana arrive at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park

BHOPAL, India - March 11, 2026 - PRLog -- India's ambitious Project Cheetah has entered a new phase with the introduction of nine cheetahs from Botswana to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, further strengthening the country's efforts to restore the species after more than seven decades of extinction.
The newly translocated group—comprising six females and three males—has been brought to India as part of ongoing international cooperation aimed at establishing a stable cheetah population in suitable habitats across the country. Upon arrival, the animals were placed in specially prepared acclimatization enclosures at Kuno National Park in Sheopur district, where they will undergo a period of monitoring before gradual release into the park's open landscape.

The translocation marks another important step in Project Cheetah, the world's first intercontinental large carnivore relocation programme, launched by the Government of India in 2022 to reintroduce cheetahs into their former range. The initiative began with the relocation of cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa, followed by subsequent international conservation collaborations aimed at strengthening genetic diversity and long-term population sustainability.

Located in central India, Kuno National Park was selected as the primary site for cheetah reintroduction due to its extensive grasslands, dry forests, and healthy prey base. Over the past three years, the park has emerged as the focal landscape for India's cheetah restoration programme.

Alongside the arrival of the new cheetahs, the project has also recorded a major milestone through successful breeding within India. The recent birth of five cubs at Kuno National Park on 9 March 2026 to the Namibian cheetah Jwala has pushed India's total cheetah population to 53 individuals, including both relocated adults and cubs born in India.
The birth marks the tenth successful cheetah litter recorded in the country since the project began, reflecting encouraging progress in establishing a breeding population. With the new litter, the number of Indian-born cheetah cubs has now reached 33, signalling the emergence of a second generation of cheetahs adapting to Indian ecosystems.
Jwala, an eight-year-old cheetah translocated from Namibia, has emerged as one of the most successful mothers in the programme. This latest litter represents her third successful birth in India, with previous cubs born in March 2023 and January 2024.
Other female cheetahs at Kuno have also contributed to the growing population. Gamimi, a cheetah brought from South Africa's Tswalu Reserve, has produced two litters, while Veera, another South African cheetah, gave birth to her first cub in 2025. In a symbolic development for the programme, Mukhi—the first cheetah born in India under Project Cheetah—also became a mother, delivering five cubs in November 2025.

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