PIB TrackerPresident visits Kuno National Park, reviews Project Cheetah
President Droupadi Murmu toured Kuno National Park's Cheetah Management Area and was briefed on Project Cheetah — months after the third cheetah batch, donated by Botswana, reached Kuno in February 2026.
What happened
- President Droupadi Murmu visited Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, touring the Cheetah Management Area and being briefed on Project Cheetah by the Divisional Forest Officer.
- During her state visit to Botswana in November 2025, she had witnessed the symbolic donation of eight cheetahs by Botswana.
- The third batch of cheetahs, from Botswana, reached Kuno in February 2026.
- Project Cheetah was launched on 17 September 2022 under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and is led by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
- Kuno is India's first cheetah reintroduction site; batches came from Namibia (Sep 2022), South Africa (Feb 2023) and Botswana (Feb 2026).
For Prelims
- Project Cheetah: The world's first intercontinental large-carnivore translocation, launched 17 September 2022 to reintroduce the cheetah, which was declared extinct in India in 1952.
- The cheetah: The African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is being introduced; the Asiatic cheetah survives only in Iran. The cheetah is the world's fastest land animal.
- Kuno National Park: Located in Madhya Pradesh (Sheopur district), on the Kuno River (a Chambal tributary); it was originally prepared for Asiatic lion translocation from Gir.
- NTCA: The National Tiger Conservation Authority, a statutory body under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (created 2006), which is implementing Project Cheetah.
- IUCN status: The cheetah is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List; source countries so far are Namibia, South Africa and Botswana.
- Wildlife diplomacy: The Botswana donation reflects conservation diplomacy; cheetahs have also been moved to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary as a second home.
- Don't confuse: Kuno hosts the cheetah reintroduction (African cheetah), not the Asiatic lion (which remains in Gir, Gujarat); the NTCA (not Project Tiger alone) implements Project Cheetah.
For UPSC: President Murmu reviewed Project Cheetah at Kuno after Botswana's cheetahs arrived in February 2026. Anchor Project Cheetah (launched 17 Sep 2022, MoEFCC, NTCA), the cheetah's 1952 extinction in India and African/Asiatic cheetah distinction, Kuno National Park (MP, Kuno River), source countries (Namibia/South Africa/Botswana), and conservation/wildlife diplomacy.
What it is NOT: Project Cheetah introduces the African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) — the Asiatic cheetah survives only in Iran. Kuno National Park is in Madhya Pradesh and now hosts cheetahs (it was once readied for Asiatic lions, which remain in Gir). The programme is implemented by the NTCA under the MoEFCC.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.14 · GS2.18 · Linkage L2
Anchor
Species reintroduction and conservation — reviving a locally extinct apex predator and restoring grassland ecosystems.
Substantiation (data)
Project Cheetah (launched 17 Sep 2022, MoEFCC/NTCA) at Kuno; batches from Namibia (2022), South Africa (2023) and Botswana (2026); India's first cheetah reintroduction site.
Exemplification
Cite Project Cheetah (and the Botswana donation as conservation diplomacy) as an example of restoring biodiversity and using flagship species to anchor habitat protection.
Problematisation
Cheetah mortality, habitat and prey-base adequacy, human-wildlife conflict, and the ecological debate over intercontinental translocation are challenges.
Way-forward
Strengthen habitat and prey base, develop second homes (e.g. Gandhi Sagar), monitor health, and embed local communities in conservation.
Position
Government stance: reintroducing the cheetah restores a lost species and revives grassland/open-forest ecosystems, with wildlife diplomacy aiding the effort.
Deploys into: Wildlife conservation & reintroduction (Project Cheetah, NTCA, Wildlife Protection Act) · grassland ecosystem restoration · conservation/wildlife diplomacy (GS3.14 conservation & biodiversity, GS2.18 international cooperation).
President's Secretariat · 2026-06-21 · PRID 2276382 · PIB source ↗