India and Botswana Announce Translocation of Eight Cheetahs Under Project Cheetah

India and Botswana on November 12, 2025, formally announced the translocation of eight cheetahs from Botswana to India during the State visit of President Droupadi Murmu. The initiative marks a new chapter in Project Cheetah, India’s ambitious wildlife restoration programme.

Symbolic Handover Ceremony

• Botswana’s President Duma Gideon Boko and President Droupadi Murmu jointly presided over a ceremony at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve, located about 10 km south of Gaborone.
• During the event, five of the eight captured cheetahs were released into a quarantine facility at the reserve, symbolising their official handover to India.
• President Murmu thanked President Boko and the people of Botswana — one of the world’s largest diamond producers — for their support, assuring that India will take good care of the animals.
• The eight cheetahs were brought to Mokolodi from Ghanzi town in the Kalahari Desert and will remain in quarantine before being flown to India in the coming months.

Background: India’s Cheetah Reintroduction Efforts

• Project Cheetah was launched on September 17, 2022, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs from Namibia into Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh — the world’s first intercontinental translocation of a large wild carnivore.
• In February 2023, India imported 12 more cheetahs from South Africa.
• Over three years, India’s cheetah population has grown to 27, including 16 born on Indian soil.

Current Status (as of November 2025)

• Total cheetahs: 27
  • 24 at Kuno National Park
  • 3 at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS), Madhya Pradesh
• Deaths: 19 cheetahs (9 imported adults and 10 India-born cubs) have died due to natural or environmental causes.
• Births: 26 cubs have been born in India so far.
• Net gain: After importing 20 cheetahs, India currently has a net gain of 7 cheetahs over the initial count.

About Botswana

• Landlocked nation in southern Africa; about 70% of its landmass is covered by the Kalahari Desert.
• The Kalahari receives more rainfall than typical deserts and is largely covered by savanna grasslands.
• The baobab tree, some as old as 2,000 years, is a characteristic feature of the landscape.
• The Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park in the north are globally recognised for their rich biodiversity and natural beauty.

Source: TH