Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday released three cheetahs, including a female named Veera and two of its 10-month-old cubs, into the wild at Kuno National Park (KNP) to mark International Cheetah Day.
Officials said the release took place in Kuno’s Parond forest zone, one of the park’s key tourism regions. After the event, Yadav said India’s cheetah reintroduction programme had “picked up pace”, noting that Kuno now has third-generation cubs born to Mukhi, an India-born female cheetah that gave birth in November.
“We have released three cheetahs today, and the growing cheetah family will bring new livelihood opportunities for the displaced communities in the region,” the Chief Minister said, adding that local residents in the Chambal belt had adapted to living alongside the animals.
Wildlife officials said the release marks a significant step for Veera and the cubs, who had been held in large, semi-wild enclosures for several months to ensure they could hunt and navigate independently.
In enclosures, prey availability is controlled and territorial competition is absent. In the wild, however, the cheetahs must secure kills more consistently while avoiding conflict with leopards, officials said.
“Veera has shown competent hunting behaviour inside the enclosures, but the added demands of protecting two sub-adult cubs in an unfenced landscape will test her,” said a senior official at Kuno.
The move from enclosures to free-ranging status also reintroduces the animals to unpredictable elements, like variable prey movement, human activity along forest fringes, and the risk of dispersal beyond protected boundaries. “Radio-collaring and intensive monitoring teams will track the trio closely in the coming weeks, with field veterinarians and cheetah managers on standby to intervene only if necessary,” the official said.
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India began its cheetah reintroduction project on September 17, 2022, when eight cheetahs from Namibia were released at Kuno by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Twelve more arrived from South Africa the following year. India’s current cheetah population stands at 32, of which 21 were born in the country. Twenty-nine are housed at Kuno, while three have been moved to Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur–Neemuch.
India is expected to receive eight additional cheetahs from Botswana in the coming months. Donated during President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to Gaborone in November, the animals are currently under quarantine at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve before being moved to Kuno for further acclimatisation.
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More
