Two Botswana Cheetahs Released Into MP’s Kuno, Marking New Chapter in Project Cheetah

India’s ambitious Project Cheetah reached another milestone on Monday as two female cheetahs brought from Botswana were released into the open forests of Kuno National Park after completing quarantine and acclimatisation.

The release was carried out in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav , who reviewed the progress of the country’s big cat restoration programme. Officials called it another major step in India’s wildlife conservation journey.

The two cheetahs were among the nine brought from Botswana to Kuno in February this year. They had been kept in specially designed enclosures to help them adapt to India’s climate, terrain, and food conditions before entering the wild near the Kuno River region.

Earlier, India brought eight cheetahs from Namibia in 2022 and 12 more from South Africa in 2023. With the latest additions and cubs born in India, the country’s total cheetah population has now risen to 57 .

Wildlife experts believe the Botswana cheetahs will improve the population’s genetic diversity , an important factor in building a healthy and sustainable cheetah population in India.

Officials are also preparing to relocate some cheetahs to other protected areas such as Gandhi Sagar and Nauradehi sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh as part of the next phase of the project.

For India, the return of cheetahs to the wild is not just a conservation effort but also a symbol of ecological revival and long-term environmental commitment.