In figures: Two years of Project Cheetah

September 16, 2024, marks two years since the arrival of the first African cheetahs to India in a landmark experiment.

Eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 cheetahs from South Africa were imported in two batches in 2022 and 2023. Their existence at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh has been a mixed bag.

The first batch of eight cheetahs (comprising five females and three males) was transported from Namibia to KNP on September 17, 2022, which happened to be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 72nd birthday.

The release of these cheetahs into quarantine bomas (enclosures) within KNP was overseen by Modi.

In order to fortify the founder population, an additional 12 cheetahs were procured from various private game reserves in South Africa. This second batch arrived in India on February 18, 2023. 

In March 2023, Namibian female cheetah Jwala welcomed a litter of four cubs. But only one survived. In January 2024, she again gave birth to a second litter of cubs.

Another Namibian female, Asha, gave birth to her first litter of three cubs just a few weeks before Jwala’s second litter arrived. Cub numbers were strengthened further by the birth of cheetah Gamini’s six cubs in March 2024.

Of the cubs born on Indian soil, five have died.

KNP now hosts 12 Indian-born cubs (of the 17 born in India) and 12 adults (of the 20 brought from Namibia and South Africa).

The Namibian cheetahs include the following (inclusive of adults and cubs):

1. Jwala – Alive. Has five cubs

2. Aasha – Alive. Has three cubs

3. Nabha - Alive

4. Shaurya - Deceased 

5. Gaurav - Alive

6. Pawan - Deceased 

7. Dhatri - Deceased 

8. Sasha - Deceased  

The South African cheetahs include the following (inclusive of adults and cubs):

1. Agni - Alive

2. Vayu - Alive

3. Prabhas - Alive

4. Pavak - Alive

5. Veera - Alive

6. Dheera - Alive

7. Nirva - Alive

8. Gamini - Alive, has 4 cubs

9. Tejas - Deceased 

10. Uday - Deceased 

11. Sooraj - Deceased

12. Daksha - Deceased