8 more African cheetahs to arrive at Kuno today, India’s revival mission gathers pace

India’s ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme is set for another milestone on Saturday as eight more cheetahs are scheduled to arrive at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The new batch, comprising six females and two males from Botswana, will mark the third group of African cheetahs brought to India under the ongoing intercontinental translocation initiative .

According to officials, the big cats will be flown from Botswana to Gwalior aboard an Indian Air Force aircraft, with the flight expected to take around nine to ten hours . Upon landing between 9 pm and 10 pm, they will be transported to Kuno by two IAF helicopters, reaching the park between 9 am and 10 am on Saturday. Special enclosures have been readied, where the cheetahs will undergo a month long quarantine before gradual release into the wild.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav are expected to formally release the animals into their enclosures.

With this arrival, India’s cheetah count will rise to 46 . Earlier batches were brought from Namibia in September 2022 and from South Africa in February 2023. While 35 cheetahs currently remain at Kuno, three have been relocated to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary to reduce habitat risk and prevent disease outbreaks.

The cheetah, once native to India, became extinct in the country nearly seven decades ago . Since 2023, 39 cubs have been born , of which 27 have survived . Officials say the latest addition will further strengthen the programme, with a target of increasing the population to 50 in the near future .

Saturday’s arrival marks another significant step in India’s effort to restore a species that once roamed its grasslands.