8 cheetahs from Africa to arrive at M.P.'s Kuno National Park on Saturday

Eight cheetahs from Africa will arrive at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on February 28, 2026, for revival efforts.

Eight more cheetahs will be airlifted from Africa and brought to Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday (February 28, 2026) morning, an official said on Friday (February 27, 2026).

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav will release the big cats into enclosures readied at the park under the ongoing cheetah revival programme in India via intercontinental translocations, he added.

The batch from Botswana, comprising six females and two males, will fly to Gwalior between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on an Indian Air Force aircraft, Cheetah Project Director Uttam Sharma told PTI.

From Gwalior, two IAF helicopters will transport the cheetahs to Kuno National Park, where they are expected to arrive between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Saturday (February 28, 2026). The flight duration from Botswana to Gwalior will be around nine to 10 hours, he said.

This will be the third batch of cheetahs arriving from Africa, following earlier introductions from Namibia and South Africa, he added.

With this, the number of cheetahs in India will rise to 46.