Project Cheetah: From a historic return to a new generation in the wild

Four years ago, on September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened a new chapter in India's wildlife conservation history, releasing the country's first batch of eight cheetahs brought from Namibia into Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh on his birthday.

What began with eight animals has since grown into an international conservation partnership, a breeding programme and one of India's most closely monitored wildlife reintroduction efforts.

As Project Cheetah completes four years on September 17, the official status review describes the programme as entering a phase of establishment. The current cheetah population in India stands at 52, of which 49 are in Kuno National Park and three in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary. As many as 32 are India-born.

It’s a good number despite controversies and challenges.

The journey has involved animals arriving from three African countries. After the eight Namibian cheetahs, came 12 from South Africa on February 18, 2023. A further nine arrived from Botswana on February 28, 2026.

Of the original eight Namibian cheetahs, three are alive, along with 22 of their India-born offspring. Of the 12 from South Africa, eight are alive along with 10 India-born offspring.

From translocation to breeding

The first year was a difficult period of adjustment. The official four-year review describes it as a phase of learning, setbacks, adaptation and recovery rather than a straightforward success story.

The second year brought a major change in the character of the project. The focus was no longer only on keeping the translocated animals alive, but on whether a new generation born in India could grow, survive and eventually live in the wild. The official review records 13 cubs born and surviving for more than a year during this phase.

By the third year, the emphasis shifted further towards the animals' movement into the wild. Cheetahs were released and monitored round the clock across an inter-state landscape covering 12 districts, with the animals successfully navigating and surviving in that wider landscape.

The fourth year is being described by Project Cheetah officials as the “Year of Establishment” — a stage in which cheetahs have begun displaying their natural ecology, and the programme is expanding to more sites.

An international coalition takes shape

The four-year story is not only about numbers. It has also created an unusual international conservation relationship involving India, Namibia, South Africa and Botswana. The latest Project Cheetah newsletter calls the programme a symbol of an international coalition, with the four countries coming together to return the cheetah to its historical range and strengthen conservation efforts.

That international connection has produced an unexpected development inside Kuno.

KNG23, an India-born male, and CCB4, a male brought from Botswana, are unrelated and come from different countries. Yet officials say the two have gradually developed a strong social bond, an unusual experience for India and a reminder that the project is also becoming an opportunity to understand cheetah behaviour, not merely increase numbers.

KNG23 was separated from his mother, brother and sister after a minor injury in March 2026, while CCB4 was also separated from his two sisters. After KNG23 recovered and was reunited with his family, his interest in CCB4 continued. The two were subsequently brought together again after KNG23 suffered another injury in the wild.

Officials eventually removed the fence between them. The first meeting was peaceful and the two shared a kill without aggression. Over the following days, KNG23 began following CCB4, the animals hunted and fed together, called to each other when separated from sight, supported each other when challenged and began grooming one another.

If the relationship develops into a stable coalition, officials say it could become the first documented coalition in the history of Project Cheetah between two unrelated male cheetahs originating from different countries.

Behind the cheetah revival

While the animals provide the visible face of the programme, the harder work is taking place behind the scenes.

As information provided by Project Cheetah officials shows, 30 collared cheetahs are being monitored continuously through satellite-cum-radio collars. Another 19 cubs with four mothers remain uncollared. Eighteen collared cheetahs are free ranging across a landscape covering six districts, while 12 are being kept in a fenced natural forest under close monitoring.

The operation runs round the clock. Eighteen dedicated monitoring teams are deployed, each comprising three forest field staff and six protection workers. At a given time, three personnel operate together in a dedicated vehicle for an eight-hour shift. At the end of the shift, another team takes over with the latest information on the animals.

Satellite tracking provides information on location, movement and dispersal, while radio tracking enables teams to confirm the animal's position on the ground. The technology, however, works only when it is converted into field action, reaching an animal, checking its condition and behaviour and assessing the surrounding landscape.