Gaurav, original Project Cheetah cheetah, dies at Kuno sanctuary

Gaurav, one of the original cheetahs brought to Kuno National Park as part of India's Project Cheetah, has passed away. The big cat was among the first cohort of cheetahs reintroduced to the sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh under the flagship wildlife restoration initiative.

Gaurav had become a notable figure in the project's early phase, with conservationists tracking the animal's adaptation and breeding efforts at Kuno. The death marks a setback for Project Cheetah, which aims to reestablish a viable cheetah population in India after the species was declared extinct in the country in the 1950s.