A new peer-reviewed paper has mounted a strong defence of Project Cheetah, the Indian government’s ambitious initiative to reintroduce the big cat to India more than 70 years after its extinction. Published on Monday in Frontiers in Conservation Science, the paper titled “” describes the criticism against the initiative as “ideologically biased, scientifically unfounded and rooted in misinformation”.

The authors of the paper include environment ministry officials such as G S Bhardwaj, Member Secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

While acknowledging that “constructive criticism is essential”, the paper stated that the discourse around Project Cheetah has been “characterized by self-referential arguments, selective use of literature and a disproportionate emphasis on negative outcomes”.

It added that “critics have misrepresented key aspects, such as the use of soft-release bomas, ethical concerns and veterinary interventions, while ignoring the project's adaptive management strategies and measurable progress”.

One of the most common criticisms — that the cheetahs are being kept in captivity — is addressed directly in the paper. It clarified that the cheetahs in , Madhya Pradesh, are not held in artificial structures or dependent on human provisioning.

“Instead, they were initially held in soft-release bomas, fenced natural enclosures, which are internationally recognised in carnivore re-introductions,” the authors wrote.

The bomas, the paper said, allow cheetahs “to hunt independently and exhibit natural behaviours while acclimatizing to their new environment”.

Responding to claims that cheetah births at Kuno amount to captive breeding, the paper firmly pushed back.

“Cheetahs cannot be forced to breed, even in controlled environments,” the paper said, pointing out that Western zoos took over four decades to achieve successful breeding.

“In contrast, the fact that translocated cheetahs in Kuno have produced 25 cubs from six successful litters in 2.5 years... demonstrates that these animals are in a stress-free, near-natural environment.”

It added that the cubs born in Kuno are “nurtured and raised entirely by their mothers without any form of human intervention”.

While cheetah deaths have drawn sharp scrutiny, the authors argued that such losses are a natural part of any translocation effort.

“The cheetah mortality rate in Kuno has remained well below the anticipated threshold of 50 per cent,” the paper noted.

According to data cited in the study, adult cheetah survival rates were 70 per cent in the first year and rose to 85.71 per cent in the second. For cubs, the survival rate over 2.5 years stood at 66.67 per cent — a “significant figure” given the species’ tendency for high infant mortality in the wild.

The paper acknowledged that unforeseen challenges like an unseasonal winter coat, tick infestations and infections contributed to some fatalities in free-ranging environments.

Refuting the charge that Project Cheetah was rushed or lacking scientific groundwork, the authors stated, “The decision to introduce cheetahs in India was not made impulsively.”

They referred to a consultative meeting held in 2009 that included IUCN experts, NGOs and academic institutions. The project, they said, followed multiple international assessments, including site evaluations and disease risk analyses.

The study also challenges assumptions about the suitability of India’s landscape for cheetahs, citing international research and early Kuno data suggesting the species is more flexible than believed.

“Contrary to the assumption that cheetahs are savanna specialists, several studies reveal their adaptability to diverse habitats and prey types,” it said.

On the number of medical interventions — reportedly 90 immobilizations — the authors said this “equates to around two immobilizations per cheetah per year, a reasonable figure given the range of necessary management interventions”.

The paper addressed claims that the project has negatively impacted local communities. “Only one village has been relocated” since the project began, and that too “with full consent of the village Gram Sabha under legal provisions”.

It added that the project has actually benefited locals, with employment opportunities created in the form of forest watchers, cheetah trackers, guides, and drivers, alongside improvements in infrastructure.

Project Cheetah, launched in 2022, aims to establish a self-sustaining population of the species in India. So far, 20 cheetahs have been translocated to Kuno National Park — eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023.

Since then, 26 cheetah cubs have been born in India, with 19 surviving. Eleven cubs are now roaming freely in the wild, while others remain in enclosures at Kuno.