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Botswana Cheetah Released in MP’s Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary
Developing
In Short: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav released a female cheetah from Botswana, named CCB-2, into the Gandhi Sagar sanctuary on Sunday. The release is part of the state’s ongoing efforts to strengthen cheetah conservation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Project Cheetah.
Yadav highlighted the significance of the cheetah’s return to India, noting that the species had disappeared from the Asian landscape and had become extinct in India.
With the release of CCB-2, the sanctuary now houses four cheetahs: two males and two females. Wildlife officials hope this new addition will help establish a sustainable cheetah population in the region.
The sanctuary was chosen as an additional cheetah habitat after Kuno, providing another landscape in Madhya Pradesh where the species can thrive.
Yadav emphasized the importance of the cheetah conservation program, stating that it is significant not only for Madhya Pradesh but also for Asia as a whole.
The release comes at a crucial time for Project Cheetah, which began in September 2022 with the translocation of African cheetahs to India. Since then, the program has expanded through births in the country and the development of additional habitats.
Wildlife officials are optimistic that the arrival of CCB-2 will help kickstart a new family of cheetahs, as the existing female cheetah has not yet mated with the two male cheetahs at the site.
The total cheetah population in India now stands at 56, following the birth of four cubs at Kuno National Park in September. These cubs are part of a second generation born on Indian soil, as their mother was born in India to a cheetah brought from South Africa.
What this adds
The release of CCB-2 marks a significant step in the cheetah conservation program, aiming to establish a sustainable cheetah population in Madhya Pradesh.
What's still developing
- Speaking after releasing CCB-2, Yadav said the relocation was part of the state’s continuing efforts to strengthen cheetah conservation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Project Cheetah.
- “It is a matter of good fortune for us that cheetahs are once again roaming freely on the soil of Madhya Pradesh,” Yadav said, according to the state government’s statement.
- The latest births took India’s total cheetah population to 56, according to reports citing forest officials and the Union environment ministry.
- Gandhi Sagar, spread across the Mandsaur-Neemuch region along the Madhya Pradesh-Rajasthan border, became the country’s second cheetah habitat when two male cheetahs, Pawak and Prabhas, were moved there from Kuno in April 2025.
Sources
- The Indian Expresslink