India Hopes To Attain Self-Sustaining Cheetah Population of 60–70 by 2032

Bhopal: With the arrival of the fresh batch of eight cheetahs from Botswana to the Kuno National Park (KNP) of Madhya Pradesh by February 28, India hopes to attain a self-sustaining population of 60-70 of the big cats by 2032, officials said here on Sunday.

The establishment of the breeding female cheetahs and survival of second-generation cubs in the KNP, where the cheetahs were reintroduced three years ago, around 75 years after the species has gone extinct in India, marks the consolidation phase of the cheetah introduction programme and gives a strong positive indication towards India attaining self-sustaining population of 60-70 by 2032, a senior forest officer said.

With the translocation of eight cheetahs from Namibia in September 2022 to the KNP and a further 12 cheetahs from South Africa six months later, the population of the big cats has now increased to 38, including 27 cubs.

Six female cheetahs, including India-born Mukhi, have given birth to a total 39 cubs in the last three years. Of them, 27 cubs survived.

“Three India-born female cheetahs are going to attain adulthood for reproduction in another few months. This apart, the South African female cheetah, now released in the Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh along with two male cheetahs is also expected to bear cubs in coming days. If each of them delivers an average of three cubs when they gain motherhood, then we will see an increase in cheetah population by at least 12 by the end of the year, taking the cheetah population to 50”, field director of the KNP, Uttam Kumar Sharma said.

A cheetah conservation breeding Centre is being established in the Benni Grasslands in Gujarat to boost the native population of the big cats, officials said here.