Project Cheetah is about two years old and appears to have the green light despite several setbacks and serious criticism. The goal is to reintroduce cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) to India more than 70 years after they were driven to extinction in that country. The effort follows in the footsteps of the much more successful Project Tiger which since 1973 has steadily brought Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris) from the verge of extinction. India now has about 3,500 tigers, roughly 75 percent of the world’s wild population.
“Cheetahs for the breeding centre being built in Gujarat’s Bunni grasslands will also be brought from Kenya, the director general of the International Big Cat Alliance, S P Yadav said,” According to The New Indian Express. Kenyan cheetahs are a new aspect of the program.
Sadly, eight adults have died, igniting criticism of the program. The cats are all still in enclosures and not free roaming, prompting more criticism. But the cats are breeding well and project organizers remain hopeful.
Cheetahs are the fastest of land mammals and were once common in India and other parts of Asia. They have been nearly extirpated from Asia, as a remnant population remains in Iran. They were annihilated in India in the 1950’s.
In Africa about 7,000 remain. They are under threat from poaching, stealing of cubs for the exotic pet trade and habitat loss.
As part of the first-ever intercontinental translocation of the big cats, 20 cheetahs have been brought to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh so far: 8 from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023
The criticism of the project has recently met with robust pushback as scientists debate the project and its potential success.