Another Batch Of 8 Cheetahs From Botswana To Arrive In India Soon

Last Updated:November 08, 2025, 17:28 IST

India will receive eight more Cheetahs from Botswana for Project Cheetah, with translocation soon. There are currently 27 Cheetahs in India.

Eight cheetahs have been captured in Botswana in southern Africa ahead of their translocation to India.(Photo Credit: Instagram)

Project Cheetah: India is set to receive eight more Cheetahs from southern Africa’s Botswana soon.

Eight cheetahs, including two males, have been captured in Botswana ahead of their translocation to India. They will be quarantined for a month and undergo a medical examination before being sent to India, a senior forest official told news agency PTI.

“Inter-continental translocation involves several formalities. Considering these and the upcoming Christmas holidays, I can’t say when the cheetahs will be flown to Kuno National Park in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh; most probably in January," he added.

Cheetah Project field director Uttam Sharma said that the matter was being handled by the two governments, and he could not comment on it.

“We already have enclosures and facilities ready for the third batch of cheetahs, which were prepared when the animals were earlier brought from Namibia and South Africa," he added.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, President Droupadi Murmu, during her visit to Angola and Botswana from November 8 to 13, will discuss the translocation of African cheetahs to India as part of Project Cheetah.

South African Delegation Visits Sanctuary

Meanwhile, a five-member South African delegation visited the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS), located on the boundary of Mandsaur and Neemuch districts in Madhya Pradesh, after its field visit to Kuno National Park on Thursday.

The team appreciated the efforts of the Central and Madhya Pradesh governments and Kuno management in cheetah conservation under Project Cheetah.

The delegation comprised Anthony Mitchell, head of office and cabinet liaison for Deputy Minister Narend Singh; Kam Chetty, retired bureaucrat; Sam Ferreira, SANParks lead biologist; Brent Coverdale, animal scientist at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife; and Jeanetta Selier, senior scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).

They were accompanied by Indian counterparts S P Yadav, managing director of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and advisor to Project Cheetah; Subharanjan Sen, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) of Madhya Pradesh; and Sanjayan Kumar, inspector general, NTCA, Sharma added.

Project Cheetah

On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs brought from Namibia into a special enclosure at Kuno National Park, marking the world’s first intercontinental relocation of a large wild carnivore species.

India’s record in Project Cheetah is excellent, and the survival rate of cubs is over 61 per cent, much higher than the global standard of 40 per cent, top government sources said. There are 27 Cheetahs in India right now, with 15 of them being free-ranging in the wild. India has released three Cheetahs in the Gandhisagar sanctuary this year, besides their original habitat of Kuno in Madhya Pradesh.

India got eight cheetahs from Namibia in 2022 and 12 Cheetahs from South Africa in 2023. Among the 20 translocated Cheetahs, 11 have survived. Twenty-six Cheetahs were born in India and 16 are surviving. Every adult Cheetah has a radio-collar for live monitoring, and there has been no incidence of any damage due to the radio-collar since the second year, as Cheetahs took time to acclimatise.

India plans to get 10-12 cheetahs every year to populate new sites, ensure genetic diversity and fitness, and habitat restoration.

(With inputs from agencies)

Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...Read More

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...

Read More

News india Another Batch Of 8 Cheetahs From Botswana To Arrive In India Soon

Read More