Indian officials say the project aims to establish a sustainable population of free-ranging cheetahs, decades after the species was declared locally extinct in 1952. But only 15 cheetahs or their cubs are currently roaming freely outside fenced enclosures, a project official said, requesting anonymity. Project planners said in 2022 that Kuno’s 748sqkm offered abundant prey and could hold 21 free-ranging cheetahs. Amid the criticism about the prolonged confinement of the animals, project officials say the programme does not follow a “simplistic catch-transport-release” approach. “In a successful introduction, we should see cheetahs free-ranging in the open wild permanently, not being recaptured every time they approach human settlements,” Gopalaswamy said.

Source: The Telegraph March 11, 2026 02:01 UTC