Overview
Project Cheetah, India’s ambitious programme to restore the species to the country after its extinction, has reached a major milestone. The cheetah population in India has now grown to 53 animals , including 33 cubs born right here in the country — the first local births in over 70 years.
The programme began when eight cheetahs were brought to Kuno National Park from Namibia on 17 September 2022 , followed by 12 more from South Africa in February 2023 and nine from Botswana in February 2026 . Between September 2022 and December 2024, a total of nine adult cheetahs and three cubs died from various causes.
With the success of the second generation and plans to expand the cheetah’s home beyond Kuno, India’s wild cat revival is making progress.
Latest News: Population Crosses 50 – India's Cheetah Count Reaches 53
India’s cheetah population has surged. With the arrival of a new litter of five cubs born to Namibian cheetah Jwala in late April 2026, the total number has crossed the 50 mark for the first time, reaching 53 . In February 2026, nine additional cheetahs from Botswana were brought in, including six females and three males, strengthening the founder population and improving the long-term genetic diversity of the group.
Why This Matters: A Species Brought Back After a 70-Year Wait
The cheetah once roamed across much of India, ruling the country’s grasslands and open forests. But decades of hunting and habitat loss took their toll. The species was officially declared extinct in India in 1952 , the only time the country lost a large mammal after independence.
Project Cheetah, launched on 17 September 2022, is the world’s first intercontinental translocation of a large carnivore . At a total cost of about $11 million over five years, the mission is not just about returning a lost species — it also aims to restore degraded grassland ecosystems, improve biodiversity, strengthen prey populations, promote scientific wildlife management, and create a long-term sustainable cheetah metapopulation.
Project Cheetah Population Tracker
| Stage |
Details |
| 2022 (Initial translocation) |
8 cheetahs from Namibia |
| 2023 (Second batch) |
12 cheetahs from South Africa |
| 2026 (Third batch) |
9 cheetahs from Botswana (6 females, 3 males) |
| Total translocated |
29 cheetahs |
| Total Indian-born cubs |
33 |
| Total deaths (as of Dec 2024) |
9 adults + 3 cubs |
| Current population |
53 cheetahs
Month: Current Affairs - May 23, 2026
Category: Environment, Ecology
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