India’s ambitious "Project Cheetah" reached a significant new milestone today as a fresh batch of 9 African Cheetahs arrived from Botswana. Following the successful previous translocations from Namibia and South Africa, Botswana has now become the third nation to contribute to India’s mission of re-establishing the cheetah population.
Early this morning, a special Indian Air Force (IAF) cargo aircraft carrying the cheetahs landed at the Gwalior Airbase. From there, the feline guests—consisting of 6 females and 3 males—were airlifted via Mi-17 helicopters directly to the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh.

Cheetahs were officially declared extinct in India in 1952. After nearly 74 years, the government’s relocation program is showing promising results: 1.Cheetahs arrived from Namibia (2022). 2.Cheetahs arrived from South Africa (2023). 3.Integration of the Botswana pride into the Indian wilderness.

According to forest officials, the new arrivals have been placed in specialized quarantine bomas (enclosures). They will be monitored 24/7 by a team of veterinarians and wildlife experts to ensure they acclimate to the Indian climate and prey base.
With the arrival of these 9 cheetahs, and including the cubs born on Indian soil over the last two years, the total cheetah count in India has now reached 48.