India is bringing 8 cheetahs all the way from Botswana, a country in Africa, as a part of its ongoing Project Cheetah initiative. The translocation will take place in two phases, with four cheetahs expected to arrive by May 2025 and the remaining four in the subsequent months. Cheetahs disappeared from India many years ago, and now the government wants to bring them back to help protect and grow their population. The cheetahs coming from Botswana will be settled at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. Most of the cheetahs that were brought to India from Africa under this initiative are currently living in the Kuno National Park, also in Madhya Pradesh. The Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary will become a second home for these big cats. In fact, two African cheetahs were recently released into the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
Watch full video on Cheetah- The Fastest Mammal on LandLeopard Facts For Kids
What is Project Cheetah?
Project Cheetah is a big plan started by India to reintroduce cheetahs back into the country after they went extinct here about 70 years ago. The last Indian cheetah was seen in the 1950s, and since then, there have been none left in the wild.
To fix this, India brought cheetahs from Africa (countries like Namibia and South Africa) and released them into special protected areas. The first group of eight cheetahs arrived in September 2022, and more have come since then. The goal of Project Cheetah is to help cheetahs live and grow in India again, so they can be part of the wild and help keep nature balanced.
Did you know?
Currently, there are 29 cheetahs at the Kuno National Park. Eight adult cheetahs and five cubs have died since the project began.
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