Species and protected area
Project Cheetah
GS3 Environment and BiodiversityPrelims and Mains
- Why in news
- On 18 February 2026, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced three cheetah cubs born at Kuno National Park to Gamini, a South African cheetah. India's cheetah population is now 38.
- What it is
- Project Cheetah is India's programme to reintroduce the cheetah, declared extinct in India in 1952. Cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa were first brought to Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, in 2022. It is run by the Environment Ministry with the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
- Central team
- The team has the NTCA Inspector General of Forests and two officers of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB).
- State response
- Madhya Pradesh formed a Special Task Force of forest and police officers; the central team will also review security protocols and protection measures.
- Extinction and reintroduction
- The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952; the first cheetahs came to Kuno in 2022 from Namibia, with more from South Africa later.
- Location of death site
- The cheetah was found outside the protected area, in territorial forests of Morena, showing animals stray beyond Kuno's boundary.
- Population
- India now has 60 cheetahs, of which 41 were born in India.
- Mother
- KJP21 is the third Indian-born female to give birth, after Mukhi and KGP12.
- Botswana lineage
- The cubs' father is a Botswanan male, so a new genetic lineage begins in India.
- Location
- Kuno National Park is in Madhya Pradesh.
- Extinction
- The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. The species is Acinonyx jubatus.
- Total population
- India's cheetah population reached 53 after Jwala's litter.
- Indian-born cubs
- The number of Indian-born thriving cubs rose to 33. This was the 10th successful litter on Indian soil.
- Botswana cheetahs
- Nine cheetahs (6 females, 3 males) from Botswana were put in quarantine enclosures at Kuno on 28 February 2026 for acclimatisation and health monitoring.
- Founder animals
- Jwala is a Namibian cheetah, now a third-time mother. Gamini, from South Africa, recently had her second litter of four cubs.
- New source country
- Botswana is the new source of cheetahs, after Namibia and South Africa. Nine animals arrived: 6 females and 3 males.
- Capture and transfer
- The cheetahs were captured in the Ghanzi region of Botswana and held in quarantine at Mokolodi Nature Reserve before the transfer to India.
- Transport to India
- The Indian Air Force airlifted the animals from Gaborone to Gwalior. They then went by helicopter to Kuno.
- Extinction in India
- The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952.
- Litter count
- The new birth is the ninth successful cheetah litter on Indian soil.
- Surviving Indian-born cubs
- 27 Indian-born cubs are alive.
- Mother of the cubs
- Gamini is a South African cheetah and a second-time mother.
- First translocation
- 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa came to India in 2022-23, described as the world's first inter-continental translocation of a large carnivore.
- First release
- PM Modi released the first eight cheetahs on 17 September 2022.
Don’t confuse with Territorial forest vs protected area: Territorial forest divisions are ordinary State forest areas, while a national park is a protected area with stronger legal protection.
Don’t confuse with Cheetah vs leopard: The cheetah has solid black spots and tear-line marks on the face and is built for speed. The leopard has rosettes and climbs trees. The cheetah cannot roar.
Don’t confuse with Asiatic vs African cheetah: The cheetah that once lived in India was the Asiatic cheetah, now surviving only in Iran. The animals brought to Kuno are African cheetahs from Namibia, South Africa and Botswana.
Don’t confuse with Project Cheetah vs Project Tiger: Both involve the National Tiger Conservation Authority's support, but Project Cheetah is a reintroduction of an extinct species, while Project Tiger protects existing tiger populations.
Don’t confuse with African cheetah vs Asiatic cheetah: The cheetahs brought to India are African cheetahs. The Asiatic cheetah survives only in Iran in small numbers.
Species and protected areas: 12 Prelims questions since 2013; they test legal status, location and the year of designation.
Why it matters
- Cheetah reintroduction is a test of India's grassland and big cat conservation capacity.
- Poaching deaths affect public trust in the programme.
- Births in India show the reintroduced population is breeding and becoming self-sustaining.
- A new Botswana lineage widens the gene pool and reduces inbreeding risk.
- Reintroduction of an extinct large carnivore aims to restore grassland and open-forest ecosystems.
- Successful breeding on Indian soil shows the animals are adapting to local conditions.
- Restores a lost top predator and grassland ecosystem in India.
- Adds a source population outside Africa, supporting global cheetah conservation.
- Restores a lost apex predator and grassland ecosystem role.
- Shows India's capacity for large-scale conservation translocation.
Problems
- Cheetahs range widely and leave the protected area into human-use landscapes.
- Local retaliation, snares or illegal firearms threaten animals outside the park.
- The founder population is small, so genetic diversity stays limited.
- Cheetahs need large open grassland, and Kuno has limited space and prey.
- Limited space and prey in Kuno may constrain a growing population.
- Animals face risks from disease, injuries and conflict outside protected areas.
- Limited space and prey base in Kuno, and the risk of animals straying out of the park.
- Mortality in the early years and dependence on imports for genetic diversity.
- Limited space at Kuno and the need for more sites for a viable population.
- Cub and adult mortality, and human-wildlife conflict outside protected areas.
Way forward
- Strengthen monitoring and community engagement around Kuno and extend protection to the wider landscape.
- Ensure swift investigation and prosecution of wildlife crime.
- Build more sites, such as other protected areas, and manage the animals as a metapopulation.
- Improve prey base and habitat, and keep exchanging animals with African countries.
- Expand the habitat through other landscapes and manage animals as a connected metapopulation.
- Keep up health monitoring and continue exchange of animals with African countries.
- Expand habitat to other sites such as Gandhi Sagar and build a connected metapopulation.
- Continue scientific monitoring and community involvement near release sites.
- Develop additional habitats and manage the cheetahs as a connected metapopulation.
- Continue monitoring and veterinary care with exchanges of animals from African countries.
Put in your answer
Central probe team: The Centre sent NTCA and WCCB officers to examine the death and review security protocols.
Project Cheetah population: India has 60 cheetahs, 41 of them born in India, showing local breeding success.
Botswana partnership: International cooperation on translocation: Botswana was chosen as a new source, with an Indian delegation visiting in September 2025 to plan logistics and clearances.
Population milestone: India's cheetah population reached 48, including 28 India-born cubs, as evidence of breeding success.
Global first: The 2022-23 translocation of 20 cheetahs was the first inter-continental translocation of a large carnivore.
- 2026Mains GS3 · Q8Aims of Kunming-Montreal biodiversity framework and India's commitments and initiatives to achieve them
- 2018Mains GS3 · Q17How biodiversity varies in India and how the Biological Diversity Act helps conservation
- 2024Prelims Q25Which statements on lions, cheetahs and leopards' breeding, roaring and scent marking are correct
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Single answer
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements regarding the recent cheetah birth at Kuno National Park under Project Cheetah: 1. KJP21, the mother of the five cubs, is an Indian-born female cheetah. 2. The father of the cubs is a Namibian male cheetah. 3. KJP21 is the first Indian-born female cheetah to give birth in India. 4. India's cheetah population is now 60, of which 41 are Indian-born. How many of the statements given above are correct?
How many of the statements given above are correct?
True or false?
1 of 13
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.KJP21, which gave birth at Kuno National Park, is an Indian-born female cheetah.
True. KJP21 is a 32-month-old Indian-born female.
2.The father of the newly born cubs is a Namibian male cheetah.
False. The father is a Botswanan male cheetah.
3.KJP21 is the first Indian-born female cheetah to give birth in India.
False. She is the third, after Mukhi and KGP12.
4.Of India's 60 cheetahs, 41 are Indian-born.
True. The total is 60, including 41 Indian-born.
5.Kuno National Park is located in Madhya Pradesh.
True. Kuno is in Madhya Pradesh.
6.The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1972.
False. It was declared extinct in 1952.
7.The cheetah is scientifically named Acinonyx jubatus.
True. Acinonyx jubatus is the cheetah.
8.The latest birth is the ninth successful cheetah litter recorded in India.
True. The release calls it the ninth successful litter on Indian soil.
9.The cubs were born to Gamini, a cheetah brought from Namibia.
False. Gamini is a South African cheetah.
10.The first cheetahs were released in India by the Prime Minister on 17 September 2022.
True. PM Modi released the first eight cheetahs on 17 September 2022.
11.The 2022-23 translocation of 20 cheetahs to India was the world's first intra-continental translocation of a large carnivore.
False. It was described as the first inter-continental translocation of a large carnivore.
12.The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952.
True. India declared the cheetah extinct in 1952.
13.Project Cheetah's founder population was settled in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
False. The first cheetahs were settled at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Source: PIB, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change., 18 Feb, 11:01 IST · Release 284477
Issue page →Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.