52 cheetahs and counting: Project Cheetah reaches a new milestone after four years

Four Years

Project Cheetah has completed four years since eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia to Kuno National Park in September 2022. India’s cheetah population has now reached 52, with officials pointing to breeding, cub survival and the animals’ gradual move into open forests as major milestones.

Cub Boom

The biggest shift has happened inside India itself: 32 cubs have been born in the country since the reintroduction programme began. Officials say the survival of the second generation of cubs has emerged as one of the programme’s significant achievements, marking a crucial step beyond simply bringing cheetahs back. (Representative pic)

Forest Expansion

The cheetahs are no longer confined to specially managed enclosures. In 2025, some were released into open forest and monitored around the clock across an interstate landscape covering 12 districts, with officials saying the animals gradually adapted to their new surroundings.

Global Gene Pool

India’s cheetah programme has expanded beyond its original Namibian group. Cheetahs have also arrived from South Africa and Botswana, adding new animals to the restoration effort and strengthening the international base for building a long-term cheetah population in India.

Bigger Habitat

The next challenge is no longer just survival but scale. The government’s stated next phase is to expand suitable cheetah habitats beyond Kuno and Gandhi Sagar and establish a comprehensive, long-term cheetah meta population across India.