6 months ago
2
President Droupadi Murmu connected Thursday (November 13, 2025) was symbolically handed implicit 8 cheetahs by her Botswana counterpart Duma Gideon Boko astatine a quality reserve adjacent Gaborone connected the past time of her authorities visit.
The 2 heads of authorities reached the Mokolodi Nature Reserve, astir 10 kms southbound of superior Gaborone, earlier successful the greeting and took a safari conveyance to witnesser the lawsuit of 2 captured large cats being released into a quarantine pen.
Wildlife officials from India and Botswana besides briefed Ms. Murmu and Mr. Boko astir the procedure.
A caller section successful India-Botswana wildlife conservation partnership: At the Mokolodi Nature Reserve successful Botswana, President Droupadi Murmu and President Duma Gideon Boko witnessed the merchandise of captured cheetahs originating from Botswana's Ghanzi portion into the quarantine facility… pic.twitter.com/NtzgBILxyT
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 13, 2025Officials said each the 8 cheetahs are successful the reserve and lone 2 were released for quarantine successful the beingness of the heads of authorities arsenic a symbolic motion of handing implicit them to India by Botswana.
The cheetahs, a premix of big and sub-adult males and females, person been brought to the quality reserve from the Ghanzi municipality located successful the Kalahari desert, that forms 70 per cent of the landmass of this confederate Africa located country.
The Mokolodi reserve, dispersed implicit 3,700 hectares, is simply a backstage not-for-profit crippled reserve that was created successful 1994. It is inhabited by rhinoceros, giraffes and a assortment of indigenous African vertebrate and reptile species, immoderate of which are uncommon and susceptible to the menace of extinction, arsenic per authoritative information.
All 8 cheetahs are expected to scope India successful the adjacent fewer weeks aft completion of their quarantine process here.
Ms Murmu is connected a three-day authorities sojourn to Botswana which concludes connected Thursday (November 13, 2025).
The translocation of the cheetahs from Botswana to India arsenic portion of the Project Cheetah was announced by the 2 Presidents connected Wednesday during a property briefing aft holding delegation level talks astatine Boko's bureau here.
Ms. Murmu thanked the African federation for the endeavour successful wildlife conservation and assured that India volition instrumentality “good care” of the cheetahs.
Mr. Boko said his country's determination to donate the cheetahs volition assistance regeneration of the colonisation of the large feline successful India.
India's cheetah re-introduction communicative began connected September 17, 2022 erstwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi released 8 cheetahs brought from Namibia into a peculiar enclosure astatine Kuno National Park successful Madhya Pradesh, marking the world's archetypal intercontinental relocation of a ample chaotic carnivore species. India aboriginal imported 12 much cheetahs from South Africa successful February 2023.
Three years into the ambitious revival programme, the state present has 27 cheetahs, including 16 calved connected Indian soil. Of them, 24 are astatine Kuno and 3 are astatine the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS), located connected the bound of Mandsaur and Neemuch districts successful Madhya Pradesh.
Nineteen cheetahs — 9 imported adults and 10 cubs calved successful India — person died from assorted causes since the task began, portion 26 cubs person been calved successful Kuno truthful far.
After importing 20 animals from Africa, India presently has a nett summation of 7 cheetahs implicit the archetypal number.
