Project Cheetah Expansion to Gandhi Sagar: UPSC Current Affairs Story Arc

Overview

This arc tracks the strategic expansion of 'Project Cheetah' from its initial experiment site in Kuno National Park to a broader landscape-level approach. Faced with density concerns and the need for ecological risk-spreading, the Indian government announced a multi-site expansion in March 2025, targeting Gandhi Sagar (MP) and Banni Grasslands (Gujarat). The arc culminates in the successful relocation of a female cheetah to Gandhi Sagar in September 2025, coinciding with the project's third anniversary. This move signifies India's attempt to establish a 'meta-population' of cheetahs across multiple sanctuaries to ensure long-term survival and reduce the biological pressure on Kuno.

How This Story Evolved

Expansion announced (Mar) → Relocation approved (Apr) → Relocation executed (Sep)

1. 2025-03-06: Expansion of Project Cheetah and Strengthening Project Lion
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Project Cheetah expands; Project Lion extended for 10 years.

   Key Facts:

   • Project Cheetah expansion to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh) and Banni Grasslands (Gujarat).
   • Project Lion extended for 10 years.
2. 2025-04-24: Cheetah Relocation Approved
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   UPSC Angle: Cheetah Project approves relocation from Kuno to Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary.

   Key Facts:

   • Committee: Cheetah Project Steering Committee
   • Action: Approved cheetah relocation
   • From: Kuno and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh)
   • Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary Location: Mandsaur and Neemuch districts, Madhya Pradesh
   • River passing through: Chambal River
3. 2025-09-18: Cheetah Relocation
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   UPSC Angle: Cheetah relocated from Kuno to Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary.

   Key Facts:

   • Relocation: Female cheetah moved from Kuno to Gandhisagar
   • Objective: Reduce stress on Kuno National Park, diversify habitats
   • Project: Part of Project Cheetah
   • Current Cheetah Population: India now has 27 cheetahs

Genesis

Trigger

The formal expansion announcement on March 6, 2025, which designated Gandhi Sagar (MP) and Banni Grasslands (Gujarat) as the next homes for the African Cheetah.

Why Now

Kuno National Park was reaching its 'carrying capacity' limits, leading to intra-species competition and concerns over high-density risks like disease outbreaks or prey depletion.

Historical Context

The 1952 extinction of cheetahs in India left a 70-year ecological void. The 2022 reintroduction was Phase 1; this expansion represents the planned Phase 2 recommended in the original 2021 Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India.

Key Turning Points

1. [2025-03-06] Official expansion announcement for Gandhi Sagar and Banni.

   Shifted the project from a single-site experiment to a national-scale conservation program.

   Before: Cheetahs were restricted only to Kuno NP. After: Gandhi Sagar and Banni were officially integrated into the roadmap.

2. [2025-09-18] Relocation of a female cheetah from Kuno to Gandhi Sagar.

   The first actual movement of a cheetah between Indian sanctuaries, testing logistics and animal adaptation.

   Before: Gandhi Sagar was an 'empty' proposed site. After: It became India's second active cheetah sanctuary.

Key Actors and Institutions

Key Institutions

• National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
• Cheetah Project Steering Committee
• Madhya Pradesh Forest Department

Key Concepts

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely without habitat degradation.

Current Fact: The September 2025 relocation aimed to 'reduce stress on Kuno National Park' which was reaching its limit.

Meta-population Management

A group of spatially separated populations of the same species which interact through movement between them.

Current Fact: By expanding to Gandhi Sagar and Banni, India is creating a meta-population for cheetahs.

Grassland Ecosystem

Open habitats dominated by grasses, crucial for the cheetah's hunting style as the world's fastest land animal.

Current Fact: Banni Grasslands (Gujarat) were specifically chosen in the March 6, 2025 announcement for their suitability.

What Happens Next

Current Status

As of September 18, 2025, the first female cheetah has been successfully relocated to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, marking the activation of India's second cheetah habitat.

Likely Next

Expansion into the Banni Grasslands of Gujarat (announced in March) and potential further translocations from the current population of 27 to balance sex ratios in Gandhi Sagar.

Wildcards

Inter-state conflicts over conservation funding; potential 'conflict with Project Lion' as both species compete for resources in the same landscape; and the biological success of breeding in the new habitat.

Why UPSC Cares

Syllabus Topics

• Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Essay Angles

• The ethics and ecology of species reintroduction.
• Balancing development with biodiversity: The case of the Chambal River projects.

Prelims Likely: Yes

Mains Likely: Yes

Trend Signal: rising

Exam Intelligence

Previous Year Question Connections

• Where were cheetahs brought from Namibia introduced? — Directly builds on this, as Kuno is now the source for internal translocation to Gandhi Sagar.
• Gandhi Sagar Dam is part of which project? — The new sanctuary is located around this dam on the Chambal River, a favorite geographic context for UPSC.
• Proposal to translocate lions from Gujarat to which site? — Reflects the ongoing 'Kuno-Lion-Cheetah' conservation puzzle where Kuno was originally for Lions.

Prelims Angles

• Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Mandsaur and Neemuch districts (Madhya Pradesh).
• The Chambal River passes through the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Project Lion has been extended for 10 years as of March 2025.
• The current total cheetah population in India stands at 27 as of September 2025.

Mains Preparation

Sample Question: Critically analyze the shift in Project Cheetah's strategy from 'introduction' to 'landscape-level expansion'. How does the addition of Gandhi Sagar and Banni Grasslands address the ecological challenges faced during the first three years of the project?

Answer Structure: Intro: Status of Project Cheetah (3rd anniversary, 27 cheetahs) -> Successes of Kuno (breeding, adaptation) -> Challenges (carrying capacity, disease, space) -> Strategic Shift (Gandhi Sagar & Banni as safety valves) -> Ecological significance of the Chambal landscape -> Way Forward: Meta-population management and community involvement.

Essay Topic: Restoring the Wild: The Symbolic and Ecological Significance of Large Carnivore Reintroduction in India.

Textbook Connections

Key Takeaway

The expansion to Gandhi Sagar marks the transition of Project Cheetah from a precarious introduction at a single site to a resilient landscape-management model across Central and Western India.

All Events in This Story (3 items)

1. 2025-03-06 [Environment & Ecology] — Expansion of Project Cheetah and Strengthening Project Lion
   The government announced Project Cheetah's expansion to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh) and Banni Grasslands (Gujarat), and extended Project Lion for 10 years to expand Asiatic Lions' range across Gujarat's Saurashtra region.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Project Cheetah expands; Project Lion extended for 10 years.

   Key Facts:

   • Project Cheetah expansion to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh) and Banni Grasslands (Gujarat).
   • Project Lion extended for 10 years.
2. 2025-04-24 [Environment & Ecology] — Cheetah Relocation Approved
   The Cheetah Project Steering Committee approved the relocation of some cheetahs from Kuno and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh), to expand the habitat. Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is located on the northern boundary of Mandsaur and Neemuch districts in Madhya Pradesh and the Chambal River passes through it.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Cheetah Project approves relocation from Kuno to Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary.

   Key Facts:

   • Committee: Cheetah Project Steering Committee
   • Action: Approved cheetah relocation
   • From: Kuno and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh)
   • Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary Location: Mandsaur and Neemuch districts, Madhya Pradesh
   • River passing through: Chambal River
3. 2025-09-18 [Environment & Ecology] — Cheetah Relocation
   A female cheetah was relocated from Kuno National Park to Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary on the third anniversary of Project Cheetah. The relocation aims to reduce stress on Kuno National Park and diversify habitats for cheetahs.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Cheetah relocated from Kuno to Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary.

   Key Facts:

   • Relocation: Female cheetah moved from Kuno to Gandhisagar
   • Objective: Reduce stress on Kuno National Park, diversify habitats
   • Project: Part of Project Cheetah
   • Current Cheetah Population: India now has 27 cheetahs