Why in News?

• Recently, Madhya Pradesh CM released CCB-2, a three-year-old female cheetah brought from Botswana, into Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The relocation from Kuno National Park aims to establish Gandhi Sagar as a viable second home for cheetahs in MP and strengthen the long-term conservation strategy under Project Cheetah.
• The move comes shortly after KGP12, an India-born female cheetah, gave birth to four cubs at Kuno National Park, marking an important milestone for the programme.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Project Cheetah
• Why Gandhi Sagar Matters?
• Significance of the Relocation
• Way Forward
• Conclusion

Project Cheetah:

• Genesis: Discussions to bring the Cheetah back to India were initiated in 2009 by the Wildlife Trust of India.
• Plan: Under the ‘Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah in India’, 50 cheetahs to be brought from African countries to various national parks over 5 years.
• Most suitable site - Kuno Palpur National Park (KNP) in MP:
  • Amongst the surveyed sites of the central Indian states, KNP has been rated as the most suitable habitat with adequate prey base.
  • It is assessed to be capable of supporting 21 Cheetahs and is likely the only wildlife site in the country where villages have been completely relocated from within the park.
  • Kuno also provides the possibility of harbouring four of India's big cats - tiger, lion, leopard and Cheetah, enabling them to coexist as they have in the past.
• Other recommended sites: Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary of MP; Shahgarh bulge and Mukundara Tiger Reserve of Rajasthan.
• First reintroduction:
  • India’s cheetah reintroduction programme began in (September) 2022, with African cheetahs being brought to India after the species had become extinct in the country.
  • The programme is gradually moving beyond simply introducing individual animals towards creating multiple viable habitats and a sustainable, interconnected cheetah population.
• Rise in population:
  • The birth of four cubs at Kuno is particularly significant because their mother, KGP12, was herself born in India to a cheetah brought from South Africa.
  • Thus, the cubs represent the second generation of cheetahs born on Indian soil. The latest births reportedly took India’s cheetah population to 56. 

Why Gandhi Sagar Matters?

• Location:
  • The sanctuary (notified in 1974) is spread across (an area of 368.62 sq km) the districts of Mandsaur and Neemuch in western MP, right on the border with Rajasthan.
  • The Chambal river cuts the sanctuary into two almost equal halves and the Gandhi Sagar dam lies within the area of the sanctuary.
• Ecosystem:
  • The savanna ecosystem - comprising open grasslands interspersed with dry deciduous trees and shrubs, belongs to the sanctuary.
  • However, the riverine valleys of the sanctuary are evergreen.
• Cheetah reintroduction:
  • It became India’s second cheetah habitat after Kuno when two male cheetahs, Pawak and Prabhas, were relocated there in (April) 2025.
  • With the arrival of CCB-2, Gandhi Sagar now has four cheetahs—two males and two females.
  • The addition of another female is expected to improve the prospects of breeding and population establishment at the sanctuary.

Significance of the Relocation:

• Geographic diversification: Concentrating the population at a single site can increase vulnerability to disease, ecological disturbances and other risks. Gandhi Sagar provides an additional habitat.
• Breeding potential: A balanced male-female composition can improve the prospects of establishing a breeding population.
• Landscape-level conservation: Project Cheetah seeks to develop multiple suitable habitats rather than depend exclusively on Kuno.
• Long-term population viability: The broader objective of Project Cheetah is not merely to increase the number of cheetahs but to establish ecologically viable, genetically diverse and sustainable populations across suitable landscapes.
• Boon to the ecosystem: Conserve the big cat, save not just the prey base (including certain threatened species), but also other endangered species of grasslands in the region. They are not a threat to humans and do not attack large livestock either.

Way Forward:

• Strengthen habitat management and prey availability.
• Monitor cheetah health, mortality and reproductive success scientifically.
• Maintain adequate genetic diversity through carefully planned translocations.
• Develop wildlife corridors and landscape connectivity where feasible.
• Ensure community participation and minimise human–wildlife conflict.
• Continuously assess carrying capacity before expanding the population.

Conclusion:

• The return of cheetahs to India is an important example of species reintroduction and ecological restoration.
• Gandhi Sagar’s development as a second cheetah habitat expands the geographical footprint of Project Cheetah and supports the objective of creating a self-sustaining wild population.
• For Madhya Pradesh, which already hosts the country’s principal cheetah population at Kuno, Gandhi Sagar could become an important complementary landscape for the species.