Project Cheetah: Mokolodi Nature Reserve

Why in News? India and Botswana has recently formally announced the translocation of eight cheetahs from the African nation during the state visit of President Droupadi Murmu.The two heads of state will preside over an event where five of the eight captured cheetahs will be released into a quarantine facility at the Mokolodi nature reserve.

What is translocation ?

 The translocation of African cheetahs refers to the deliberate, human-led process of moving cheetahs from one geographical area to another. This is usually done for conservation, population management, or to reintroduce cheetahs into areas where they have disappeared or their numbers have drastically declined.

• The study highlights that the translocation of African cheetahs to India has resulted in significant challenges:

High mortality rate of 40%-50% in the first phase of the project, far below the expected survival rate of 85%.

• High levels of stressfor Cheetahs with over 90 chemical immobilisations and regular veterinary interventions, raises concerns about their physical and mental health.
• Reliance on a continuous supply of cheetahsfrom southern Africa, is neither ecologically sustainable nor ethical. African cheetah populations are already under pressure with only around 6,500 mature individuals remaining in the wild.
• This raises concerns about the scientific rationale and the long-term viability of the Cheetah translocation project (Project Cheetah)in India.

Project Cheetah (Cheetah Reintroduction in India):

• Project Cheetah is an initiative to reintroduce cheetahs into the wild after their extinction in the country in 1952.
• Initiative of: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
• The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) provides technical assistance, coordinating the reintroduction project.
• Under Project Cheetah, so far20 adult African cheetahs, eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023, were introduced into the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh.
• As of February 2025, 26 Cheetahs survive(including 12 Adults and 14 cubs), and other adult Cheetahs died. There were various causes of their death including starvation and bacterial infection (blood poisoning/septicaemia) due to wounds caused by the tracking radio collar.
• Under the Cheetah Action Plan, the government is planning to relocate a new batch of Cheetahs from Africa to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.

Distribution of Cheetahs:

• Historically, Asiatic Cheetahs had a very wide distribution in India(from Punjab to southern Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan to Bengal). In 1952, the cheetah was declared officially extinct in India.
• Today, four subspecies of Cheetahs are recognised that are native to Africa and Central Iran. (present in fragmented habitats in Iran, Sahara Desert, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa etc.)

Threats and Conservation status: 

• Threats: Habitat loss, conflict with humans, poaching and high susceptibility to diseases.
• Protection Status: 
• IUCN Status: Vulnerable
• CITES: Appendix I
• Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule II
• Cheetah Conservation Fund (1990): An international non-profit organization headquartered in Namibia, founded in 1990 for the conservation of cheetahs and their ecosystems.