Environment › Species in news
Cheetah
The cheetah is the one large carnivore India declared extinct and then brought back. Animals flown in from Namibia in 2022 have bred at Kuno, and the population reported in September 2026 stands at 52, most of them born in India. Two more sites are being prepared, which is where the project now turns: whether the founders can spread beyond the park that received them.
The species, and where it stands in India
- The cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, is the fastest land animal and hunts by daylight sprint rather than ambush.
- It is Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
- It was declared extinct in India in 1952, and the animals here now descend from founders brought from Namibia in 2022.
- Its Indian range is Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh and Gandhi Sagar, with Banni Grassland in Gujarat and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh to follow.
- The population stood at 52 in September 2026, from 29 founders, with 49 cubs born in India.
- Project Cheetah is the programme that covers it.
What has happened
13 Sep 2026
A review of Project Cheetah reported 52 cheetahs in India, with 49 cubs born here since the reintroduction.
- The 52 descend from 29 founders, so most of the present population was born in India rather than imported.
- Banni Grassland and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary are being readied as further sites, beyond Kuno and Gandhi Sagar.