A high stakes feline translocation

Some books seem fit for screen adaptation. Bringing theCheetah Back to India is one of them as it has all the elements of a gripping political thriller: high-stakes diplomacy, bureaucratic hurdles, ecological ambition, international negotiations, swings between frustration and triumph, and, at its heart, one of the world’s most charismatic animals.

Former diplomat Prashant Agrawal transforms Project Cheetah into an engrossing narrative that reads like a fast-paced thriller. Written from the perspective of India’s former High Commissioner to Namibia, the book offers an insider’s account of how diplomacy and conservation came together to bring the cheetah back to India after an absence of seven decades.

Agrawal introduces readers not only to the project but also to the animals themselves, detailing their names, personalities, genetic backgrounds and behaviour. By the end, they are no longer anonymous predators but, as the author describes them, the “supermodels of the cat world.”

Obstacles galore

The ambition to reintroduce cheetahs to India had existed for decades but remained trapped in a maze of legal, scientific and diplomatic obstacles. Namibia had rejected earlier proposals, the Supreme Court had stalled the project since 2012, conservationists questioned the introduction of African cheetahs into India, and IUCN guidelines cautioned against translocating non-native species.

When Agrawal assumed charge in 2018, he inherited an idea that appeared almost impossible to realise. Even after the Supreme Court cleared the reintroduction framework in January 2020, negotiations came to a standstill because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

What followed was a painstaking diplomatic effort that stretched over two years. Agrawal recounts the endless meetings, shifting deadlines, legal complexities and administrative red tapes, offering a rare glimpse into the painstaking work that unfolds behind landmark conservation initiatives.

Logistical challenges

The logistical challenges alone make for compelling reading. The original target was to bring the cheetahs to India by August 15, 2022, coinciding with the country’s 75th Independence Day celebrations. Mandatory quarantine rules, the death of one shortlisted animal, the unexpected pregnancy of another, and a series of last-minute replacements repeatedly threatened to derail the timeline. Ultimately, eight cheetahs arrived in Kuno on September 17, 2022.

Agrawal is equally convincing in explaining why the cheetah matters beyond symbolism. Declared extinct in India in 1952, the species is being reintroduced not merely to restore a missing predator but to revitalise the country’s grassland ecosystems. Protecting habitats suitable for cheetahs, he argues, also benefits lesser-known species such as the Indian wolf, caracal, Lesser Florican and Great Indian Bustard.

The book also addresses the scientific criticism surrounding the project. Agrawal explains why African cheetahs were selected, how Kuno emerged the preferred destination because it lacked resident tigers, and why the genetic differences between African and Asiatic cheetahs are less significant than critics suggested.

Painstaking diplomacy

One of the book’s strengths is its honesty. Agrawal does not romanticise diplomacy. Instead, he candidly describes the frustration of watching weeks of negotiations become entangled in a single legal clause or bogged down by bureaucratic inertia. The book is not without its gaps. Because the story is largely told from the author’s vantage point in Namibia, parallel developments in New Delhi receive relatively little attention. Similarly, negotiations with South Africa that led to the second batch of cheetahs arriving in 2023 are covered only briefly.

Yet, Agrawal’s vivid descriptions of Namibia, his account of the Cheetah Conservation Fund’s work, and his own encounters with the animals keep the narrative engaging throughout.

From tense airport logistics and quarantine protocols to the anxious wait before the cheetahs finally stepped into their new home in Kuno, the reader experiences the project almost firsthand.

The story, of course, does not end with the book. During President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to Botswana in November 2025, the country agreed to send eight additional cheetahs to India to enhance the project’s genetic diversity. Those animals arrived in February 2026. By March 2026, India’s cheetah population had risen to 53, including 33 cubs born on Indian soil.

Ultimately, Bringing the Cheetah Back to India is about far more than transporting a handful of “speed demons” across continents. It is a story about persistence, diplomacy and the often-unseen realities of conservation, reminding readers that many environmental victories are secured in conference rooms long before they are visible in the wild.

The book leaves readers with a strong desire to visit Kuno — not to tick another wildlife sighting off a list, but to meet the ‘Very Important Cats’ whose remarkable homecoming is brought so vividly to life.

Check it out.

Published on August 2, 2026