Following Kuno National Park, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh is preparing to serve as a new habitat for reintroduced cheetahs, with the recent release of 28 Cheetal (spotted deer) to strengthen the prey base. The group, sourced from Mandla, includes 18 males and 10 females, adding to the 434 Cheetal already released at Gandhi Sagar—120 males and 314 females—since the initiative began.
India’s cheetah reintroduction project, launched in 2022, aims to establish cheetahs in multiple regions. Despite challenges at Kuno, where six of the 20 cheetahs imported from Namibia and South Africa have died over the past year, the program continues its efforts to create viable cheetah habitats. Gandhi Sagar is emerging as a promising site, with authorities focused on providing abundant prey and adapting the sanctuary for cheetah conservation.
This latest step underscores Gandhi Sagar’s growing role in India’s ambitious cheetah restoration plans, supporting the vision to establish a sustainable population of cheetahs in India’s wilderness.