8 more cheetahs to arrive in India tomorrow
On February 28, eight cheetahs (six females, two males) will arrive at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh from Botswana.
This is the third group coming to India as part of Project Cheetah, which aims to bring back a species that vanished here nearly seven decades ago.
With these new arrivals, India's cheetah count will go up from 38 to 46.
Journey and arrival details
The Indian Air Force is flying the cheetahs in on a cargo plane—a trip that takes nearly 10 hours.
Once they land in Gwalior Friday night, helicopters will carry them to Kuno by Saturday morning.
The park has set up special helipads and done trial runs so everything goes smoothly.
When they arrive, the cheetahs will spend a month in quarantine enclosures before joining their new home.
Current cheetah count and project goals
Kuno already has 35 cheetahs—including cubs born since the first batch arrived from Namibia and a subsequent batch arrived from South Africa.
Project Cheetah isn't just about numbers; it's about reviving wildlife and restoring balance to Indian ecosystems after decades without these iconic animals.
The goal? To eventually have at least 50 cheetahs thriving in India again.