It was supposed to be a roaring success—India’s grand plan to reintroduce the cheetah, the fastest land animal, to its historical home. Project Cheetah was painted as a global conservation masterstroke, complete with dramatic airlifts from Africa and ceremonial photo-ops in Kuno National Park.

On December 4, 2024, coinciding with International Cheetah Day, India released two male cheetahs, Agni and Vayu, into the wild at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district. This significant event is part of India’s ongoing efforts to reintroduce cheetahs into their natural habitat after their extinction in the country over seven decades ago. […]