For 70 years, India had no cheetahs. The fastest land animal on Earth — capable of 120 km/h — had been hunted, displaced, and ultimately declared extinct in the country in 1952. But something extraordinary is happening in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The cheetahs are not just surviving. They're having cubs.
In early March 2026, nine new cheetahs — six females and three males — touched down on Indian soil, having flown from Botswana in a carefully coordinated wildlife translocation. With their arrival, India's total cheetah population has officially reached **48 individuals**. It is the third batch of cheetahs introduced under Project Cheetah, and it signals that the world's most ambitious large predator reintroduction is gaining real momentum.
**From Zero to 48 in Under Three Years**
When India launched Project Cheetah in September 2022 — bringing eight Namibian cheetahs to Kuno National Park — the world watched with cautious optimism. Could a species extinct on the subcontinent for seven decades really be brought back?
The early days had real challenges. Several adult cheetahs died in the first year, raising questions about the programme's viability. But the scientists and conservationists pressed on — and the results speak for themselves:
- 🐆 **48 cheetahs** now in India (as of March 2026) - 🐣 **39 cubs born** at Kuno National Park since 2023 - 🌱 **27 cubs surviving** — a meaningful success rate for a wild breeding programme - ✈️ **Three international translocations**: Namibia (2022), South Africa (2023), Botswana (2026)
**Nine Cubs Born in February 2026**
Just weeks before the new Botswana cohort arrived, Kuno was celebrating another milestone. Between February 7 and 18, 2026, **nine new cubs were born in two separate litters**. Among them, three cubs were born to Gamini — a South African cheetah who had successfully adapted to her new Indian home.
These cubs join a growing generation of cheetahs that have never known anything but the grasslands of Madhya Pradesh. For some, this is already home.
**Why Botswana? Why Now?**
Botswana is home to the world's second-largest cheetah population after Namibia. The six females in this batch are particularly valuable — expanding the genetic diversity of India's growing population and increasing breeding potential significantly.
The new arrivals will enter mandatory quarantine before gradual introduction to the wider reserve, monitored via GPS collars and supported by field teams.
**Why This Matters for the World**
The cheetah's global population has plummeted from 100,000 a century ago to fewer than 7,000 today — with more than 90% having disappeared. India's reintroduction programme is the only one of its kind for cheetahs in the world, watched by conservationists globally as a potential model for large carnivore recovery.
'The cheetah's return to India is not just a wildlife story — it's a story about what's possible when nations collaborate, when communities support conservation, and when we dare to believe that extinction can sometimes be undone.'
70 years of silence. 48 cheetahs. 39 cubs. And counting. The fastest land animal on Earth is running again in India. 🐆
Sources: Economic Times of India · Times of India · Indian Express · Daily Pioneer