Project Cheetah: Kuno National Park, Cheetah Cubs & Population Recovery

Subject: GS 3: Environment

Context: Recently, an India-born female cheetah, KGP12, has given birth to four cubs at Kuno National Park (KNP), Madhya Pradesh, taking India’s cheetah population to 56 and marking progress towards establishing a self-sustaining population.

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Key Highlights

• New Litter: KGP12, an India-born female and daughter of South African cheetah Gamini, has given birth to four cubs in Kuno.
• Population Milestone: India’s cheetah population has reached 56, comprising 36 India-born and 20 African-origin cheetahs.
• Current Distribution: 53 cheetahs are in Kuno, while three adults are housed in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh.
• Recent Translocation: Nine cheetahs—six females and three males—were brought from Botswana in February 2026, marking the latest intercontinental transfer under Project Cheetah.
• Habitat Expansion: Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve is being prepared as another potential cheetah habitat.

Its Significance

• Second-Generation Breeding: Birth of cubs to an India-born cheetah indicates movement beyond the initial translocation phase towards natural population growth in India.
• Adaptation: Successful reproduction is an important indicator of the species’ adaptation to Indian ecological conditions.
• Population Recovery: Continued breeding is necessary to establish a viable and self-sustaining population.
• Ecosystem Restoration: Cheetah reintroduction is associated with conservation of grassland and open-forest ecosystems and their biodiversity.

About Project Cheetah

• Objective: To establish a viable and self-sustaining cheetah population in India through reintroduction, habitat management and scientific monitoring.
• Launch: Project Cheetah was launched in September 2022, with the first batch of cheetahs translocated from Namibia to Kuno National Park.
• Source Countries: Cheetahs have subsequently been translocated from South Africa and Botswana.
• Landscape Approach: The programme seeks to establish a metapopulation across multiple suitable habitats, rather than concentrating animals at one location.
• Monitoring: Cheetahs are monitored through radio/GPS collars, field surveillance, veterinary care and ecological assessments.

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About Kuno National Park

• Location: Situated in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh, Kuno lies within the Kuno River basin and forms part of the Kuno Wildlife Division.
• Protected Area: It was initially notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1981 and subsequently upgraded to a National Park in 2018.
• Landscape: The park comprises dry deciduous forests, grasslands, scrublands and riverine habitats, providing suitable conditions for cheetahs and their prey.
• Project Cheetah Site: Kuno was selected as the primary site for cheetah reintroduction because of its suitable habitat, prey availability and relatively low human pressure.
• Prey Base: Important prey species include chital, sambar, nilgai, wild pig and chinkara, supporting a diverse carnivore community.
• Landscape Connectivity: Its larger landscape provides scope for habitat expansion and population dispersal, which is important for long-term cheetah conservation.

Status of Cheetah

• Scientific Name: Acinonyx jubatus
• IUCN Status: Vulnerable
• India’s Extinction: The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952.
• Habitat: Primarily associated with grasslands, savannas, scrublands and open woodlands.
• Global Distribution: Wild cheetahs are predominantly found in Africa, while the critically small Asiatic cheetah survives in Iran.
• Major Threats: Habitat loss, prey depletion, human-wildlife conflict, low genetic diversity and competition with other predators.
• Distinctive Features: The cheetah is the fastest land animal, characterised by black tear marks, a slender body and non-retractable claws.

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News Source: The Hindu

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