Project Cheetah was launched to establish a viable cheetah population in India following the extinction of the Asiatic subspecies.
As part of the initiative, 20 African cheetahs were translocated to Kuno National Park between 2022 and 2023:
- 12 from South Africa
- 8 from Namibia
However, a recent research paper raises concerns about the strain this project places on African cheetahs as a species. With an estimated 6,500 mature individuals remaining in the wild, the translocation of a Vulnerable species to a new environment raises ethical and conservation challenges. Cheetahs are highly susceptible to stress, and prolonged captivity before release brings uncertainty about their long-term physical and mental well-being. The research questions whether this approach truly supports cheetah conservation or if it risks compromising the species further.
Why is South Africa sending cheetahs to India?
The first two years of ‘Project Cheetah’
A recent study exposes how in the first two years of ‘Project Cheetah’ – where South Africa and Namibia sent a combined total of 20 wild cheetahs to Kuno National Park in India – nearly half of the cheetahs died. Of those that have survived, 10 were still living in captivity 2 years on. Many of the translocated cheetahs had to be returned to the soft release bomas on a regular basis due to health concerns. The remaining adult cheetahs are spending significant time in captivity. Critics argue that this experimental initiative has prioritised political goals over animal welfare and scientific rigor.
A recent study on ‘Project Cheetah’
Since their translocation, 8 adults and 5 of the 17 cubs born in captivity have died, and only 2 cheetahs are reportedly free roaming*. These soft release bomas vary in size, with the largest being 1.5 square kilometres. This is in stark contrast to their natural roaming range of 100+ square kilometres. A recent study co-authored by Blood Lions’ Dr Louise de Waal and Dr Stephanie Klarmann concludes that the way in which this project’s conservation successes are measured need to be challenged by going beyond measuring ecological processes of birth and death but also gauging impacts on an animal’s physical and mental welfare.
* statistics as of 31 January 2025
Neither ecologically sustainable nor ethical
A new study by the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), which examines the ethical, ecological and welfare challenges associated with the translocation of African cheetahs to India, has expressed concern over the translocation of the animals and also raised questions about its scientific merit and long-term viability.
CWS also said that the cheetahs involved in the project have experienced high levels of stress, with over 90 chemical immobilisations and regular veterinary interventions, raising concerns about their physical and mental health.
What is an ethically acceptable mortality rate?
India’s ‘Project Cheetah’ adult survival rates are currently at 60%*, which falls short of the average 85% survival rates for cheetah reintroductions into private fenced reserves in South Africa. These below average survival rates can be attributed to differences in climate, prey species, and habitat that African cheetahs need to adapt to as several cheetahs died due to extreme heat and humidity, and skin infections due to fly strike.
The Indian survival rates will most likely decrease further when all the African cheetahs are free-ranging and encounter other large indigenous predators in Kuno National Park.
* statistics as of 31 January 2025
Cheetahs are generally susceptible to stress
The cheetahs that were translocated from South Africa and Namibia have not only been transported intercontinentally, but they are also regularly subjected to veterinary interventions, including a total of 90+ chemical immobilisations*.
These wild-caught cheetahs are currently living in captivity in soft release bomas, where most have lived for the past two years.
*statistics as of 31 January 2025
Cheetahs sent to india
an experimental project
Cheetahs sent to India by South Africa and Namibia had lived in soft release bomas for over 2 years.
These cheetahs are mostly sustained on live, captive-bred chital, raising welfare concerns for not only the cheetah but also their prey, as they are hunted in confined space without the opportunity of escape.
According to a case ruled by the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, this is classed as “unnatural confinement and exposed to the danger of immediate attack with no recourse” for the cheetahs’ prey.
This adds to the list of concerns that conservationists have raised around the experimental ‘Project Cheetah’ – a project aimed at establishing a viable cheetah population in India, following the extinction of the Asiatic subspecies.
Social injustices of ‘Project Cheetah’
‘Project Cheetah’ raises concerns around the displacement of local communities.
During the planning stages of Project Cheetah, no stakeholder engagement was conducted, but researchers tried to determine which communities would be most open to receiving a once-off monetary compensation to leave their village.
Project Cheetah didn’t prepare the remaining communities for the arrival of an unfamiliar predator (the cheetah) and neglected to consider how communities would accept and adapt to living with new risks.
A lack of stakeholder engagement led to further disempowerment of disadvantaged local communities over their own future.
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