Cheetahs Return to Karnataka After 70 Years: Four Arrive at Bannerghatta
Four African cheetahs arrive in Bengaluru under Project Cheetah for relocation to Bannerghatta National Park.
Four cheetahs, including two males and two females, arrived in Bengaluru on Saturday as part of India’s ongoing efforts under Project Cheetah to reintroduce the species into the country’s ecological landscape. The animals were flown in from South Africa and are set to be housed at Bannerghatta National Park on the outskirts of the city.
The cheetahs were transported under strict supervision involving veterinary experts and forest department officials to ensure their safety and minimize stress during the long journey. Authorities confirmed that all necessary precautions were taken during transit, reflecting the sensitive nature of wildlife relocation projects of this scale.
Upon arrival, the animals will be shifted to a quarantine facility at Bannerghatta National Park, where they will undergo a mandatory observation period of around 30 days. Officials have outlined a controlled care plan that includes a prescribed diet and continuous health monitoring to detect any infections or complications before they are introduced to their new environment.
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Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B. Khandre said officials have been instructed to ensure that the cheetahs are kept in optimal conditions and do not experience any health issues due to climate change or relocation stress. He also noted the historical presence of cheetahs in Karnataka’s forests, emphasizing that their return, even in protected environments, holds symbolic importance for wildlife conservation and public awareness.
The latest arrival is part of Project Cheetah, a national initiative launched by the central government in 2022 to restore the species in India. The program began with the translocation of eight cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, marking the first such intercontinental relocation effort for the species.
Since then, the project has seen gradual expansion, including recent births in India. A 25-month-old India-born female cheetah, KGP-2, recently gave birth to four cubs, raising the total cheetah population in the country to 57. The Asiatic cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952, making this initiative a landmark effort in restoring a species absent from the wild for over seven decades.
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