How have local people been involved in the project?

For about seventy-five years, there were no cheetahs in India. The Asiatic cheetah had died out in the country decades earlier, and the fastest land animal in the world survived only as a picture in books.

On 17 September 2022 that changed. Eight African cheetahs were flown from Namibia and released into Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. In February 2023, twelve more followed from South Africa. It was the first time anywhere in the world that large wild cats had been moved from one continent to another to live in the wild again.

Such a journey carries real risks, and moving wild animals such long distances often leads to deaths. Yet all twenty arrived safely. Experts from Namibia, South Africa and India watched over the project closely, and most of the animals began to behave as wild cheetahs should: hunting, exploring, guarding their kills and setting up their own territories. In time, a female gave birth to cubs on Indian soil, the first in about seventy-five years.

The project has also involved the people who live around the park. Some work as cheetah trackers, and the support of local villages has helped keep the animals safe. The plan is a long one: more cheetahs are to be brought in over the coming years, and other sites are being prepared for them.