9 cheetahs from Africa to arrive at MP's Kuno National Park

Nine more cheetahs will be airlifted from Africa and brought to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday morning, an official said on Friday, marking the third intercontinental translocation under India’s ambitious cheetah revival programme.Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav will release the big cats into specially prepared enclosures at the park, Cheetah Project Director Uttam Sharma stated.
According to information,the new batch, sourced from Botswana, comprises six females and two males. The cheetahs will depart from Botswana and are expected to land in Gwalior between 9 pm and 10 pm on an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft.From Gwalior, two IAF helicopters will transport the animals to Kuno National Park, where they are scheduled to arrive between 9 am and 10 am on Saturday. The flight duration from Botswana to Gwalior will be approximately nine to 10 hours, Sharma said.This will be the third batch of cheetahs arriving from Africa, following earlier introductions from Namibia in September 2022 and South Africa in February 2023.With the arrival of the nine cheetahs, the total number of the species in India will rise to 48.Sharma said enclosures have been readied at Kuno, where the cheetahs will undergo a quarantine period of about a month. The park has five helipads to ensure safe landing and smooth logistics during the operation.“Like the last time, the IAF will assist the cheetah revival programme by bringing them from Africa, just as it did when transporting the cursorial animal from South Africa in February 2023,” Sharma said.
Earlier, eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia to Gwalior on a private jet in September 2022, after which IAF helicopters transported them to the park.“The arrival of more cheetahs will strengthen India’s cheetah revival programme. With the support of the central government, we aim to increase the population to 50 as soon as possible,” Sharma said.
Currently, three cheetahs have been relocated to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur district, while 35 remain at Kuno National Park, officials said. Endangered animals are not kept in a single habitat due to the risk of disease outbreaks that could wipe out the entire population at once.The cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal, became extinct in India nearly seven decades ago.Last year, India recorded the birth of 12 cubs, though six — including three cubs — did not survive. This year, between February 7 and February 18, eight cubs were born in two litters. In total, 39 cubs have been born at Kuno since 2023, of which 27 have survived.Officials said Namibia-born Jwala and Aasha, South Africa-born Gamini, Veera and Nirva, and India-born Mukhi have all produced litters at the park, signalling gradual progress in the country’s efforts to re-establish a viable cheetah population.

(Asstt.Editor)