Project Cheetah

• Launch: 17 September 2022.
• Objective: To bring back cheetahs to India and retain a self-supporting population in the wilderness.
• First Reintroduction Site: Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
• Scientific Name: Acinonyx jubatus.
• Source Countries: Namibia and South Africa.
• Implementing Agency: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Conservation Value: Cheetahs were extinct in India. The project aims to bring back the species and restore its role in the ecosystem.
• Latest Update: The first such fillip to the breeding programme was in September 2026, when an Indian-born female cheetah, KGP12, delivered four cubs at Kuno.

Prelims Questions

Q1. Which was the first site chosen for reintroduction under Project Cheetah?

A. Gir National Park

B. Kuno National Park

C. Kanha National Park

D. Ranthambore National Park

Answer: B. Kuno National Park

Kuno National Park is located in Madhya Pradesh.

Q2. What is the scientific name of the cheetah?

A. Panthera pardus

B. Panthera tigris

C. Acinonyx jubatus

D. Felis chaus

Answer: C. Acinonyx jubatus

The cheetah is a felid and is identified in taxonomic hierarchies as Acinonyx jubatus.

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding Project Cheetah:

1.       Technically speaking, the project involves the reintroduction of cheetahs in India.

2.       Cheetahs were brought from Namibia and South Africa.

3.       The project is undertaken with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as the nodal agency.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 1 and 2 only

C. 2 and 3 only

D. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D. 1, 2 and 3

All three statements are correct.