Why in the News?

India plans to establish an inter-state cheetah conservation complex in the Kuno-Gandhi Sagar landscapes across Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan within 25 years. The project aims to restore contiguous forest habitats, supporting a metapopulation of 60-70 cheetahs. In the first phase, five to eight cheetahs will be introduced into a predator-proof area, focusing on breeding and long-term habitat management under Project Cheetah.

Project Cheetah

• Objective: The primary goal of Project Cheetah is to reintroduce cheetahs in India, after their extinction in the country nearly 70 years ago.
• This is part of a larger effort to restore the ecological role of cheetahs in India’s grasslands and savannah ecosystems.
• Phase-1 (2022): To restore the population of cheetahs, which were declared extinct in the country in 1952.
• It involves the translocation of cheetahs from South Africa and Namibia to Kuno National Park.
• The project is implemented by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
• Phase-2: Under this project, India is considering sourcing cheetahs from Kenya due to similar habitats.
• Cheetahs will be translocated to Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh).

About Cheetahs

• Scientific Name: Acinonyx jubatus
• Family: Felidae
• It is the fastest land animals are considered crepuscular hunters, meaning they hunt at sunrise and sunset.
• Cheetah females have a gestation period of 92-95 days; and will give birth to a litter of approximately three or five cubs.
• Protection Status
  • Vulnerable in International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List
  • Schedule 2 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • Appendix I of (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) CITES.