Cheetahs have been known to exist in India during the British colonial times but because of access hunting and loss of habitat factors led to their extinction in the country. A critically endangered cheetah subspecies surviving today only in Iran, Currently approximately 50 Asiatic Cheetahs are living in the wild of Iran and one of three remaining species of large cats.
Cheetah is a Hindi word derived from the Sanskrit language of Hinduism, Chitraka means speckled in Sanskrit. Indian Cheetah also known as Asiatic Cheetah become extinct from India.
Cheetah used to occur in India and it was called hunting leopard during the British colonial times. They were kept in captivity by the Indian royalty for hunting wild antelopes such as Blackbuck and Indian gazelle.
An ambitious project to reintroduce cheetah in India has been in the talk and wildlife experts have shortlisted regions for Cheetah reintroduction sites. Potential site for the Cheetah Reintroduction in India also includes Desert National Park,Moyar River Valley and Landscape of Chhattisgarh.
Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary is the most promising location to re-establish Indian Cheetah and Asiatic lions, lies in the Sheopur of Madhya Pradesh. Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuay is home to many species of wild animals such as monkeys,wolves and Nilgai.
Shahgarh Landscape is located near to the city of Jaiselmer, A protected area for reintroduction of cheetah and Chinkara will be the primary prey. Chinkara is one of the species of Antelope found in India.
Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest wildlife sanctuary of Madhya Pradesh and a potential site for the Cheetah Reintroduction in India. Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the must visit wildlife park the state.
Banni Grasslands Reserve is a grassland ecosystem at the edge of the Thar desert and Rann of Kutch. Banni Grasslands and Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary have been classified as last remaining habitats of the Cheetah in India.
Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary is also called as Chinkara sanctuary and said to be the only one of its kind in India. Its unique eco-system has identified it as one of the last remaining habitats of the cheetah in India.