Kuno National Park to receive eight cheetahs from Botswana on February 28

A group of eight cheetahs is scheduled to move from Botswana to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP) on February 28, officials said on Monday (February 23, 2026).

This move will take India’s total cheetah population to 46, as eight cubs were born in KNP this month.

Botswana has become the third African country to send cheetahs to India under the Union Government’s Cheetah Project. Two batches of cheetahs have arrived from Namibia and South Africa since the project to reintroduce the species to India was launched in September 2022. Cheetahs officially became extinct in the country in 1952.

IAF transport

Madhya Pradesh Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF – Wildlife) Subharanjan Sen said: Hindu Six male and two female cheetahs will be brought to Gwalior Air Base by an Indian Air Force cargo plane on February 28.

“According to the information we have, the IAF will bring them to Gwalior in a large aircraft and from there they will be transported to Kuno by helicopters,” said Mr. Sen, adding that preparations to welcome the new cheetahs in KNP have been completed for a long time.

“We already have ready-made enclosures for them and since this is the third transplant, our staff is also well trained. Since it involves intercontinental relocation, they will undergo a quarantine period of at least 30 days,” the senior wildlife official said, adding that a team of veterinarians and other staff will constantly monitor their health and how they are adapting.

Cheetah Project

Botswana officially donated the big cats to India under the Cheetah Project as part of a joint initiative for wildlife conservation during President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to the African country in November last year.

The eight cats have been quarantined in Botswana’s Mokolodi nature reserve since they were symbolically handed over to President Murmu.

The current cheetah population in India is 38, of which 27 are cubs born in India and 11 are adults transported from African countries. Apart from Kuno, three adult cheetahs (two males, one female) currently live in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in MP’s Mandsaur and Neemuch districts.

Since the start of the ambitious program, 21 Cheetahs (9 translocated adults and 12 Indian-born cubs) have died from various causes in Kuno. But India’s cheetah reintroduction program has gained momentum after setbacks in the first two years, and officials said staff now had the experience to manage the big cats.