Cheetahs set to expand range into tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh is preparing to extend its ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme beyond Kuno National Park to Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, representing a major milestone in India's wildlife restoration efforts. The relocation will introduce cheetahs into a landscape traditionally dominated by tigers, creating a rare coexistence of these apex predators in the state.

The state currently hosts 60 cheetahs, with 57 residing at Kuno National Park, where the animals were first translocated from African countries approximately four years ago. The initial reintroduction project at Kuno has demonstrated the viability of establishing self-sustaining cheetah populations in Indian wildlife reserves, laying the groundwork for expansion into additional protected areas.

Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, located in eastern Madhya Pradesh, offers suitable habitat and prey density to support a cheetah population alongside its existing tiger community. The reserve's landscape and ecosystem characteristics have been assessed as capable of sustaining the relocated animals while maintaining the ecological balance necessary for both species.

Wildlife officials view the expansion as a critical step in restoring cheetahs to their historical range across the Indian subcontinent, where the species had been entirely absent for decades. The reintroduction programme underscores India's commitment to large predator conservation and ecosystem restoration in its protected areas.