Rajasthan will now be part of India’s cheetah reintroduction project, which is currently active in Madhya Pradesh. A wildlife corridor spanning 17,000 sq km will connect both states, allowing cheetahs to roam freely in a protected and connected habitat.
India’s First Cheetah Conservation Corridor
Main Locations Involved:
| State | Site Name | Details |
| Madhya Pradesh | Kuno Palpur National Park (Sheopur dist.) | Main site of India’s cheetah reintroduction project. |
| Madhya Pradesh | Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary (Mandsaur dist.) | Hilly terrain; being developed as second cheetah habitat. |
| Rajasthan | Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve (Kota div.) | Includes Darrah, Jawahar Sagar, and Chambal sanctuaries. |
Rajasthan districts included:
- Kota, Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Chittorgarh
Geographical Coverage of the Corridor:
- Madhya Pradesh: 10,500 sq km
- Rajasthan: 6,500 sq km
Features & Benefits:
- Inter-State Connectivity: First-of-its-kind wildlife linkage across two states
- Seamless Movement: Cheetahs can naturally migrate between reserves
- Ecological Restoration: Restores grassland ecosystem
- Strategic Collaboration: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) & Wildlife Institute of India (WII); MoU expected between states
- Model for Asia: Recognized as a unique conservation model in Asia
Future Plans
- Exploring inclusion of forest areas in Jhansi and Lalitpur (Uttar Pradesh) into the extended landscape.
Significance for India
- Revives native species: Cheetahs declared extinct in India in 1952
- Strengthens cooperative federalism: Joint conservation across states
- Aligns with global biodiversity goals: Supports Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) targets
About National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
| Feature | Details |
| Established | 2005, under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change |
| Origin | Based on recommendations of Tiger Task Force |
| Legal Basis | Constituted under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended in 2006) |
| Role | Strengthen tiger conservation and related wildlife efforts |
About Cheetah
| Feature | Details |
| Speed | Fastest land animal |
| Status in India | Declared extinct in 1952 |
| Reintroduction Plan | Under “Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India”; 50 cheetahs to be introduced in 5 years |
| Origin | African cheetahs brought mainly from South Africa & Namibia |
| IUCN Status | Asiatic cheetah: Critically Endangered (only ~40–50 left in Iran) African cheetah: Vulnerable |
| Distinction | African cheetah is larger, darker; Asiatic cheetah often has ‘red eyes’ |
Other Big Cats
| Species | IUCN Status | Notes |
| Leopard | Vulnerable | ~12,000 leopards in India; largest population in Madhya Pradesh; ~60% increase since 2014 |
| Jaguar | Near Threatened | Largest cat in Americas; strongest bite force; black jaguars are called black panthers |
| Black Panther | Not separate species | Melanistic (black) variant of leopard (Panthera pardus) or jaguar (Panthera onca) |