New batch of 8-10 cheetahs expected to arrive in December

NEW DELHI: A new batch of 8-10 cheetahs will arrive in India either from Botswana or Namibia in Dec while another batch equal in number is expected from Kenya next year, environment ministry officials said on Wednesday.

They said though govt has been in talks with all three countries, Botswana and Namibia are in the priority list as India has already successfully translocated cheetahs in the first two batches from a similar ecosystem of the southern part of the continent.

India has, meanwhile, been preparing two more landscapes - Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh) and Banni grasslands (Gujarat) - for cheetah relocation, bringing the total number of cheetah landscapes in the country to four. At present, Kuno National Park and Gandhinagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh are the two landscapes for cheetahs.

"The fresh batch will either be relocated to KNP or Gandhisagar or at both the landscapes. Banni grassland is, on the other hand, being prepared for welcoming cheetahs from Kenya next year," said an official. Currently, India has a total 27 cheetahs spread over two landscapes - Kuno (24) and Gandhisagar (3). Eleven (six females and five males) of them are those who arrived in India during the first two batches in 2022 and 2023, while 16 of them are those who were born in India.

Fifteen of the 27 cheetahs are free-ranging (not confined to enclosures), primarily within Kuno. The free-ranging population includes both translocated adults and those born in India. "We may also get good news of new born from Gandhisagar as a female cheetah was released there on Sept 17 for two male cheetahs who had been moved there from Kuno in April," said another official.