Last Updated:February 28, 2026, 15:06 IST Nine cheetahs from Botswana arrived at Kuno National Park, raising India’s cheetah population to 48. File photo of two cheetahs at Kuno National Park. Nine more cheetahs from southern Africa’s Botswana arrived safely at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, raising India’s total population of the big cats to 48. The third batch of African cheetahs was flown to India on an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft as part of the country’s four-year cheetah revival plan. Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav is scheduled to release the animals into specially prepared enclosures at the park, news agency PTI reported, citing an official. The cheetahs landed in Gwalior before being transported to KNP by IAF helicopters, according to Sheopur public relations officer Avantika Shrivastava. This batch follows earlier arrivals from Namibia and South Africa. The IAF has been a key partner in the programme, having previously flown cheetahs from Namibia in September 2022 and from South Africa in February 2023, Project …