Historic Handover Ceremony in Botswana
In a significant development for India's wildlife conservation efforts, President Droupadi Murmu personally witnessed the symbolic handover of eight cheetahs from Botswana to India under the ambitious Project Cheetah initiative. The ceremony took place on November 13, 2025 at the picturesque Mokolodi Nature Reserve near Gaborone, marking a crucial milestone in international conservation cooperation.
Diplomatic Conservation Partnership
The event saw the presence of both Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Botswana President Duma Boko, highlighting the diplomatic importance of this conservation effort. The eight cheetahs, which were captured from the Ghanzi region of Botswana, underwent a careful transfer process. Following the ceremonial handover, the big cats were released into a specialized quarantine facility where they will remain before their eventual transportation to India.
Expanding India's Cheetah Reintroduction Program
This transfer represents Botswana's valuable contribution to India's ongoing cheetah reintroduction programme, which aims to revive the species in India after decades of local extinction. Since the program's inception in 2022, India has successfully received cheetahs from both Namibia and South Africa, creating a diverse genetic pool for the reintroduction effort.
The previous transfers have shown promising results, with many of the imported cheetahs successfully adapting to their new environment and even breeding at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. This successful adaptation has encouraged wildlife authorities to expand the program with additional cheetahs from Botswana.
Project Cheetah represents one of the most ambitious wildlife conservation projects globally, aiming to reestablish a viable cheetah population in India's grassland ecosystems. The addition of these eight Botswana cheetahs is expected to further strengthen the genetic diversity of the growing cheetah population in India and contribute to the long-term success of the reintroduction program.
