Bhopal: Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will release two more female cheetahs into the open forest at Kuno National Park in Sheopur district today. The chief minister will release the cheetahs from a site near the Kuno River and will subsequently tour the national park.
Details of the Cheetah Release
The cheetahs being released are part of the batch brought from Botswana in February 2026. After successfully completing their quarantine period, the cheetahs were shifted to smaller enclosures for acclimatisation. Two of them are now fully prepared to venture into the open forest, where they will gradually adapt to independent movement and hunting in the wild.
Project Cheetah Progress
Under Project Cheetah, India has been steadily rebuilding its cheetah population since the historic reintroduction initiative began in September 2022. Initially, eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia, followed by 12 cheetahs from South Africa in 2023. In February 2026, nine additional cheetahs, including six females and three males, arrived from Botswana, taking the total cheetah population in India, including cubs born in the country, to 48, said an official spokesperson on the eve of the release of two more cheetahs in Kuno.
This release marks another milestone in India's efforts to restore the cheetah, which was declared extinct in the country in 1952. The cheetahs will be monitored closely by forest officials to ensure their successful adaptation to the wild.
