Five more cheetahs (three females and two males) will be released from the acclimatisation camps into free-roaming conditions in Kuno National Park (KNP) before the onset of the monsoon rains in June.

Union Environment Ministry said on Monday that the decision was taken after a team of experts reviewed the current status of “Project Cheetah” on the directions of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

“The remaining 10 cheetahs will remain in the acclimatisation camps for the duration of the monsoon season. Certain internal gates will be left open to allow these cheetahs to utilise more space in the acclimatisation camps and for interactions between specific males and females to take place,” it said.

Once the monsoon rains are over in September, the situation will be reassessed. Further releases into KNP or surrounding areas will be done in a planned manner to Gandhisagar and other areas as per the Cheetah Conservation Action Plan to establish metapopulation, it added.

Cheetahs will be allowed to move out of KNP and will not necessarily be recaptured unless they venture into areas where they are in significant danger, it said, adding that their degree of isolation will be assessed once they settle down and appropriate action will to be taken to enhance their connectivity to the group.

The female who gave birth in March will remain in her camp to hunt and raise her four cubs.

Two males (Gaurav and Shaurya) have stayed within the park and have not shown any interest in exploring the landscape beyond the borders of the park, according to the statement.

As per the action plan for Cheetah introduction in India, annually 10-12 cheetahs are required to be imported from African countries for the next 5 years at least. In this context, the Government of India initiated bilateral negotiations with the Republic of South Africa in 2021 for cooperation in the field of Cheetah conservation. The negotiations were successfully concluded with the signing of the MoU with the Republic of South Africa in January 2023.

Under the provisions of the MoU, a first batch of 12 cheetahs (7 males, 5 females) were translocated from South Africa to India on 18th February 2023.

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