Project Cheetah -

Why in News?

Minutes from the Cheetah Project Steering Committee (Dec 2023–Apr 2025) revealed proposals (later abandoned) for:

relocating older non-breeding cheetahs to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary,
initiating a surrogacy/IVF program at Van Vihar Zoo (Bhopal),
translocating blackbucks from Agra to Kuno as emergency prey augmentation.

None of these initiatives were approved for implementation—official sources confirmed they remain purely conceptual.

What Is Project Cheetah?

An initiative led by the Government of India, Project Cheetah aims at reintroducing African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) into the wild in India, marking the world’s first intercontinental translocation of a large carnivore. The goal is not just species restoration but ecological rebalancing of India’s grasslands through apex predator restoration, while fostering community livelihoods.

Why Reintroduce Cheetahs in India? – The Rationale

Extinction in India: The Asiatic cheetah (A. j. venaticus) was declared extinct in India in 1952; last kills recorded in 1947, alongside habitat loss and prey depletion.
Ecological Role: As an apex predator of the grassland biome, re-establishing cheetahs helps sustain prey species, control herbivore pressure, and restore grassland resilience.
Environmental Diplomacy: The initiative is anchored in MoUs with Namibia and South Africa and executed jointly with the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF)—a model of conservation diplomacy.

Evolution of the Project: From Conversations to Consensus

Early Dialogue (2009) – Conservationists, led by the Wildlife Trust of India, hosted an international workshop in Gajner to revisit cheetah reintroduction. Experts—including those from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF)—concluded genetic analyses showed South African cheetahs were suitable proxies for the extinct Asiatic cheetah (A. j. venaticus), advocating an annual translocation scale of 5–10 individuals over a decade to establish a viable population.
Supreme Court Intervention (2012–2020) – In May 2012, the Indian Supreme Court placed a hold on genetic introduction of African cheetah, citing violations of IUCN protocols and ecological risks.
- A reversal was enacted in January 2020, allowing controlled introduction of African cheetahs to designated habitats like Kuno — explicitly calling for small-scale trials.
Formalisation via Action Plan (2021 & Beyond) – Following the court’s clearance, the NTCA (in collaboration with WII and the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department) formally published the “Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India” in late 2021. In May 2023, a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee (comprising NTCA, WII, CCF experts, and state leadership) was constituted to guide implementation, scientific monitoring, and adaptive strategy.

Site Pragmatics: Why Kuno National Park Was Chosen

Located in Madhya Pradesh, Kuno NP—formerly a potential site for Asiatic lions—was preferred due to:
- Total village relocation from the core zone;
- Habitat restoration across 750 km² with grasslands, waterholes;
- Prey richness (chital, nilgai, blackbuck, chinkara) sufficient to sustain a growing predator base.
A carrying capacity of ~21–27 cheetahs was estimated scientifically in 2021, based on trophic support and available territory.

Site Feasibility & Ecological Fit

Between 2010–21, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and state forest departments evaluated multiple locations:
Kuno, Gandhi Sagar, Mukundara, Nauradehi, Shergarh, and Madhav (Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan).
Kuno was selected due to its prior village relocation, restored grasslands, ready prey base, and infrastructure from earlier lion-preparation efforts. It was considered uniquely capable of supporting India’s “big four” felids (tig er, leopard, lion, cheetah).
On the ecological quotient, Kuno River, flowing south to north through the wildlife division, bisects the park and sustains the grassland pockets essential for prey species like chital, nilgai, chinkara, and blackbuck.
The Cheetah Action Plan projected a carrying capacity of 21 cheetahs in Kuno’s 748 km² core zone—based on habitat and prey evaluations. Some critics argued that even this estimate might be overly optimistic.

Rollout & Governance Framework

2022–2025	Action Milestone
17 Sep 2022	Arrival of 8 cheetahs from Namibia; quarantined inside Kuno.
18 Feb 2023	Arrival of 12 from South Africa.
May 2023	NTCA constituted the Cheetah Project Steering Committee, including WII scientists, state forest officials, and technical partners (NTCA, MoEFCC, CCF).
Apr – May 2025	First translocations (10 cheetahs) sent to Gandhi Sagar WLS to initiate meta-population strategy.

Community engagement was formalized through ≈400 “Cheetah Mitras”, volunteers from 51 fringe villages (teachers, patwaris, village leaders), trained in behaviour awareness, compensation mechanisms, and wildlife communication.

Mid-Term Evaluation: First Two Years

Survival Dynamics: Out of 20 imported adult cheetahs, 8 died (40 %) due to renal failure, mating-related injuries, or heat stress—consistent with mortality rates accepted in wildlife translocation guidelines.
- Of 17 cubs born, 5 died; 12 cubs survived, and 24 cheetahs (12 adults + 12 cubs) remained alive—held in enclosures pending assessment.
Home‐Range Logic: A handful of cheetahs (notably males named Asha, Gaurav, Shaurya) demonstrated roaming behaviours, but most were re-confined after mid-2023. None of the survivors were fully free-ranging by the second-year mark.
Initial Socioeconomic Impacts: Demand for security and veterinary services rose; property values increased slightly around Kuno. No human–cheetah conflicts were reported, signaling early success in coexistence integration.

Key Operational Challenges & Insights

Prey & Habitat Viability

Declining chital numbers: During 2023–24, over 2,200 chital were lost, mostly attributed to a dense leopard population (~90 estimated), not poaching. This led authorities to consider introducing tigers as apex predators to rebalance ecological hierarchies.
Capacity pressure: With more than 31 cheetahs as of mid-2025, Kuno has exceeded its carrying capacity (limited to 21–27 based on different survey models). This structurally necessitates habitat diversification into Gandhi Sagar and Nauradehi for population expansion.

Interstate Coordination & Corridor Planning

Due to cheetah movements from Madhya Pradesh into Rajasthan (e.g. Baran and Karauli districts), a joint committee—including PCCFs from both states—was established in Nov 2024 to design a Kuno–Gandhi Sagar / corridor strategy, under a proposed inter-state cheetah complex spanning ~17,000 km².

Human–Wildlife Interface & Mitra Engagement

A viral video from April 2025 showed a cheetah named Jwala responding to a voice command (“come”) from a field volunteer and drinking water from a bowl—indicating behavioural conditioning due to Cheetah Mitra familiarity. This underscores effective local interface mechanisms.

Updated Governance & Strategic Management

The Steering Committee (NTCA–MoEFCC) approved phased releases into predator-proof fenced enclosures (≈64 km² at Gandhi Sagar) and later opened grassland zones for free ranging.
The Committee has shelved earlier ideas like IVF, aged-cheetah relocation, and blackbuck import, preferring data-driven and ecologically sound methods.

Other-Relevant Themes & Linkages

Theme	Significance
Constitution & Policy	Aligns with Article 48A & Forest Conservation Act. Project driven under scientific protocols & SC-mandated reversal.
Environment & Ecology	Exemplifies ex situ to in situ reintroduction, grassland restoration, and trophic cascade insight.
International Cooperation & Diplomacy	India’s MoUs with Namibia, South Africa; partnership with CCF as a wildlife diplomacy model.
Governance & Federal Coordination	Central–state inter-agency collaboration; interstate corridor blueprint; Steering Committee’s adaptive decision-making.
Socioeconomic & Grassroots Engagement	Through Cheetah Mitras, conservation becomes participatory; no reported conflicts—even as 31 cheetahs roam neighboring landscapes.
Science & Monitoring	Wildlife-by-wire telemetry, genetics, cub survivorship and post-release data inform adaptive policy decisions.

Way Ahead: Calibration & Continuity

Prey Restoration: Immediate augmentation of chital, blackbuck, chinkara into fenced zones and across corridors, alongside habitat revival (grassland extension, invasive species removal).
Meta-Population Strategy: Scale to ~60–70 cheetahs across two to four reserves (e.g., Kuno, Gandhi Sagar, Rani Durgavati, Sahgarh), through inter-site translocation every 3–4 years.
Inter-State Governance: Finalise MoUs between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for corridor governance; strengthen forest department coordination with NTCA.
Transparent Public Stewardship: Periodically release data on births, deaths, range usage, tourism income, and community feedback arrays.
Expand Community Stewardship: Formalise mitra-network governance and broaden volunteer training across villages that lie beyond first-touch zones.

Conclusion:

Though Project Cheetah has registered early milestones—founder survival, cub births, and minimal conflict—the real challenge lies in sustaining momentum. Shelving of early speculative measures reflects a turn towards multiscale ecological planning. Whether India truly succeeds will depend on its capacity to operationalise metapopulation design, habitat connectivity, and community-rooted adaptive governance—the only blueprint that may enable these cheetahs not just to survive, but to flourish as wild ambassadors of India’s rich grasslands.

Previous Year Questions:

2012: Consider the following:

Black-necked crane

Cheetah

Flying squirrel

Snow leopard

Which of the above are naturally found in India?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Ans: (b)

2020: Which one of the following protected areas is well-known for the conservation of a sub-species of the Indian swamp deer (Barasingha) that thrives well on hard ground and is exclusively graminivorous?

1. Kanha National Park

2. Manas National Park

3. Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary

4. Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary

Ans: 1

Practice Questions:

Prelims Practice Question:

Q. Which of the following proposals were discussed but ultimately shelved by the Cheetah Project Steering Committee between December 2023 and April 2025?

Implementing a surrogacy (IVF) programme for older cheetahs at Van Vihar Zoo, Bhopal.
Relocating non‑breeding, older cheetahs to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary for training or public purposes.
Translocating blackbucks from Agra’s Sikandara Monument premises to Kuno National Park as emergency prey augmentation.

Select the correct answer using the code below:

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3

Ans: D. 1, 2 and 3

Mains Practice Question:

Q: Critically evaluate “Project Cheetah” in India — its genesis, objectives, outcomes and constraints. (10 Marks, 150 Words)

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