8 cheetahs to be brought to India from Botswana; first four to arrive in May

Eight cheetahs will be brought to India from Botswana in southern Africa in two phases, including four by May, officials have said.

A release from the Madhya Pradesh government said this information was given by officials of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), who took part in a review meeting of the in Bhopal on Friday in the presence of Union minister for environment, forests & climate change Bhupender Yadav and MP chief minister Mohan Yadav.

"Efforts are underway to bring more cheetahs from South Africa, Botswana, and Kenya to India. Eight cheetahs will be brought to India in two phases. There is a plan to bring four cheetahs from Botswana to India by May. After this, four more cheetahs will be brought. At present, consent is being developed on an agreement between India and Kenya," the release quoted NTCA officials as saying.

In the meeting, NTCA officials informed that more than Rs 112 crore has been spent on the cheetah project in the country so far, of which 67 per cent has gone into cheetah rehabilitation in Madhya Pradesh, the state government release stated.

"Under Project Cheetah, cheetahs will now be relocated in a phased manner in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary. The sanctuary is adjacent to the border of Rajasthan, so an in-principle agreement has been reached between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to establish an inter-state cheetah conservation area," the release said.

Special training is being given to "cheetah mitras" in Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary to enhance their capacity, it added.

In the meeting, forest officials informed that there are 26 cheetahs at Kuno National Park, including 16 in the open forest and 10 in the rehabilitation centre (enclosures).

Officials said 24-hour tracking takes place using satellite collar IDs to monitor the cheetahs.

Female cheetahs Jwala, Asha, Gamini and Veera have given birth to cubs, they said, adding that the number of tourists in KNP has doubled in two years.

"The state government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking permission to start cheetah safari in Kuno. This permission is necessary to start safari in forest areas or eco-sensitive zones. The decision on this petition is yet to be made," the release said.

Eight Namibian cheetahs, comprising five females and three males, were released in KNP on 17 September 2022, marking the first-ever intercontinental translocation of the big cats.

In February 2023, 12 more cheetahs were translocated from South Africa to KNP.

Kuno National Park has 26 cheetahs, including 14 India-born cubs.