Nine cheetahs from Botswana released into Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park

Union environment, forest and climate change minister Bhupender Yadav released the cheetahs into special quarantine at the Kuno National Park

Nine cheetahs from the Southern African country of Botswana were released on Saturday into Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur, taking their number there to 45 apart from three in the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in the central Indian state’s Chenpuriya.

India launched the cheetah reintroduction project in September 2022. (X)

“It marks the beginning of a historic partnership between Botswana and India in the field of biodiversity conservation,” said Union environment, forest and climate change minister Bhupender Yadav, who released the cheetahs into special quarantine at the park after they were airlifted from Gwalior on three Indian Air Force helicopters.

Yadav said the cheetah reintroduction programme was successfully implemented under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special initiative and efforts. “Several countries have come together in support of biodiversity conservation,” said Yadav

Yadav said the Cheetah project in India has completed three and a half years, and the cheetah population at Kuno National Park continues to grow steadily. He added that India’s efforts are making a significant contribution to global biodiversity conservation.

India launched the cheetah reintroduction project in September 2022, years after the species was declared extinct in the country in 1947. Twenty cheetahs were earlier brought to Kuno National Park. Eight were flown from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023.