Project cheetah

Why in News?

The third anniversary of India’s cheetah reintroduction program (Project Cheetah) was observed on September 17, 2025.

• Project Cheetah – It is India’s ambitious cheetah relocation program and the 1^st intercontinental reintroduction of a wild, large carnivore species.
• Launched in - September 17, 2022, with the translocation of the first batch of cheetahs from Namibia.
• Aim - To bring in 5-10 animals every year, over the next decade, until a self-sustaining population of cheetahs is established.
• Need for introduction – To establish a viable cheetah metapopulation in India and provide space for the expansion of the cheetah within its historical range.
• It is a flagship species; the conservation of cheetah will revive grassland-forests habitat.
• Implementing body - The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
• Assisted by - The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF).
• Reintroduction so far - The African cheetahs are translocated from the forests of South Africa and Namibia to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
• The cheetahs were relocated from Kuno National Park to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, making the sanctuary the second home of the species since their reintroduction.
• As of 2025, between Kuno and Gandhisagar, India currently has 27 cheetahs.
• Other potential sites to support cheetahs - Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and Bhainsrorgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh; Shahgarh bulge in Jaisalmer and Mukundara Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan.

Quick Facts

References

1. The Hindu | September 17 - Third anniversary of Project Cheetah
2. NTCA | Project Tiger