September 21, 2026.
Introduction:
A three-year-old female cheetah named CCB-2, originally from Botswana, was released into a protected enclosure at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh on 20 September 2026.Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav renamed the cheetah “Radha” during the release, which coincided with Radha Ashtami.
Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary
Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary lies across the Mandsaur and Neemuch districts along the Madhya Pradesh-Rajasthan border. The sanctuary became India’s second cheetah habitat in April 2025 after Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
Project Cheetah and cheetah translocation
Project Cheetah is India’s cheetah reintroduction programme, which began with translocation of cheetahs from Africa to Indian protected areas. Kuno National Park served as the initial release site for cheetahs in India, and Gandhi Sagar now functions as a second site for the species.
Radha was shifted to Gandhi Sagar from Kuno National Park. The move forms part of the long-term plan to establish multiple cheetah habitats in India and to support breeding among cheetahs of different origins.
Population details at Gandhi Sagar
With Radha’s arrival, the cheetah population at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary has reached four. The group includes two males, Pawak and Prabhas, and two females, Dheera and Radha.
Pawak and Prabhas were shifted from Kuno to Gandhi Sagar in April 2025. Dheera, a female cheetah from South Africa, was translocated to Gandhi Sagar in September 2025.
Important Facts for Exams
- The cheetah is the fastest land animal and belongs to the genus Acinonyx.
- India lost its last known wild cheetah in the 1950s, and the species was declared extinct in the country.
- Kuno National Park is located in Madhya Pradesh and became the first cheetah release site in India under Project Cheetah.
- Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is spread across two districts, Mandsaur and Neemuch, in western Madhya Pradesh.
Current cheetah count in India
Four cubs were born at Kuno National Park on 18 September 2026 to an India-born female cheetah, KGP12. With these births, India’s total cheetah population reached 56.