India Adds Nine More Botswana Cheetahs To Kuno, Population Reaches 48

It began on a runway in Gaborone and ended in the dry forests of Sheopur. On Saturday morning, nine African cheetahs, six females and three males, padded out of their travel crates into quarantine enclosures at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, marking the third international transfer under India’s ambitious Project Cheetah.

With their arrival from Botswana, India’s cheetah count has risen to 48, including 28 cubs born on Indian soil. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav said, “India now has a thriving population of 48 cheetahs, including 28 India-born cubs.” For a country that declared the Asiatic cheetah extinct in 1952, the number carries both symbolism and scrutiny.

A Continental Journey

The operation was as much logistical choreography as a conservation milestone. The cheetahs were flown nearly 7,600 kilometres aboard an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, operated by the 81 Squadron, from Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Botswana to Gwalior. The flight lasted close to ten hours. From there, helicopters ferried the animals to Kuno National Park in Sheopur district, where forest officials and veterinarians were on standby.

Before departure, the animals underwent a mandatory 30-day quarantine in Botswana, in line with international wildlife transfer protocols. Veterinary assessments cleared them for travel, and a team of Botswana wildlife experts accompanied the cheetahs to assist Indian authorities through the initial monitoring phase.

At Kuno, the nine new arrivals have been placed in large, fenced quarantine enclosures—locally known as bomas—where they will remain for 15 to 30 days. During this period, wildlife officials will monitor feeding patterns, stress levels, movement behaviour, and overall health. Only after acclimatisation will the animals be fitted with GPS satellite collars and gradually introduced into larger soft-release areas within the park.

Growing Numbers

Project Cheetah began in September 2022 with the arrival of eight cheetahs from Namibia. A second batch of 12 came from South Africa in February 2023. The Botswana transfer now forms the third wave of introductions, part of a long-term plan to establish a self-sustaining cheetah metapopulation in India.

The numbers, however, tell a layered story. Of the 20 adults brought from Namibia and South Africa in the initial phases, 11 died due to causes ranging from septicaemia and mating aggression to accidental drowning. Several cubs born in India have also not survived. Yet breeding success has offered cautious optimism. Since 2023, 30 cubs have been born at Kuno, with 29 currently surviving—the most closely watched indicator of the programme’s viability.

As of now, 45 cheetahs are housed at Kuno, while three have been moved to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, also in Madhya Pradesh. The birth of four cubs to South Africa-born female Gamini in February has further bolstered hopes that the population is stabilising.

Conservation Crossroads

Botswana’s involvement adds an important genetic dimension to the project. The country is home to an estimated 1,694 adult and independent adolescent cheetahs—nearly a quarter of the global population of roughly 7,100 individuals. Notably, more than three-quarters of Botswana’s cheetahs live outside formally protected areas, adapting to landscapes shared with livestock and human settlements. Conservationists believe this resilience could aid their adjustment to India’s mosaic of protected forests and buffer zones.

Kuno was selected as the primary release site after years of ecological assessment. The park offers a mix of grassland and woodland habitat, adequate prey density, and a relatively low human footprint following village relocations carried out over the past decade. Even so, Project Cheetah remains one of India’s most debated wildlife initiatives. Critics have questioned the ecological fit of introducing African cheetahs—a different subspecies from the extinct Asiatic cheetah—and have argued that funds could be directed toward endangered native species such as the Great Indian Bustard. Supporters counter that the project restores ecological balance to neglected grasslands and elevates conservation attention beyond forests alone.

For now, the focus is firmly on adaptation. The coming weeks will determine how smoothly the Botswana cohort adjusts to Indian terrain, prey, and climate. If the quarantine phase progresses without complications, the cheetahs will step into the wider landscape, another chapter in what remains one of the world’s most closely watched wildlife restoration experiments. Nearly three years after the first eight cheetahs touched down in Kuno, India’s bold conservation gamble continues to unfold, one careful release at a time.

(With inputs from multiple sources.)

FAQs

1. How many cheetahs arrived from Botswana?
Nine cheetahs, six females and three males, were translocated to Kuno National Park on February 28, 2026.

2. How many cheetahs are now in India?
India’s cheetah population stands at 48, including 28 India-born cubs.

3. Where are the cheetahs being kept after arrival?
They are currently in quarantine enclosures at Kuno National Park for acclimatisation and health monitoring.

4. What is Project Cheetah?
Launched in September 2022, Project Cheetah is India’s initiative to reintroduce African cheetahs into suitable grassland habitats.

5. Why were cheetahs brought from Botswana?
The Botswana batch is expected to strengthen genetic diversity and support the long-term sustainability of India’s growing cheetah population.