“After a wait of nearly 70 years, cheetahs returned to India in 2022 with their reintroduction at Kuno National Park, marking a major milestone in wildlife conservation.” 

Last week, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change posted this on social media under the hashtag #12YearOfSeva, celebrating the return of the cheetah in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The animals, however, are African cheetahs brought in by the Narendra Modi government from Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, not the Asiatic cheetah that vanished from India last century. The project has remained contentious among conservation biologists and wildlife scientists.

The government’s celebration of one big cat came even as concern mounted over another. Reports had emerged about Asiatic lions falling ill in Gujarat’s Gir forests. At least eight cubs died in May. More than 20 lions were quarantined. The cause remains disputed – initial reports pointed to babesiosis while the Gujarat government points to extreme heat conditions.

In fact, Kuno National Park, where the cheetahs now live, was originally prepared in the 1990s to serve as a second home for Asiatic lions. The park – spread across the Vindhya mountain range in Sheopur district – was even found to be the most suitable location for the purpose, after the centre told the Wildlife Institute of India to identify suitable habitats outside Gir. 24 villages were relocated, and members of the Sahariya community were displaced.

Asiatic lions are found only in India. Their population stands at approximately 890, and all of it is confined to Gujarat. From a conservation standpoint, confining an entire species to a single landscape poses risks to its long-term survival. 

Conservation biologist and writer Faiyaz Ahmad Khudsar writes about this planned relocation in an essay titled “Betrayed Locals and Lions: The Story of Kuno National Park”.

“The entire process of Asiatic lion reintroduction in Kuno National Park has gone through many social, ecological and political and economical challenges. To begin with relocating and rehabilitating the villages from within the sanctuary was a herculean task….”

However, lions could never be brought to Kuno due to the Gujarat government’s reluctance. The then chief minister of the state – and current prime minister – Narendra Modi did not agree to the move, and the matter has remained in limbo ever since. 

Hurdles to Project Cheetah

The plan to introduce cheetahs to Kuno National Park in 2022 has faced several hurdles too even though the government calls it a “success”.  

“The project has recorded encouraging outcomes despite the inherent challenges associated with wildlife translocation. The current population stands at 53 cheetahs, of which 33 are Indian-born. This reflects significant growth driven by successful acclimatisation and reproduction in Indian conditions,” the........

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