Modi’s cheetah rewilding project is coming unstuck

Political vanity projects come in all shapes and forms but invariably turn out badly. One such is India’s ‘Project Cheetah’, a madcap scheme to reintroduce cheetahs to the country after an absence of just over 70 years. It has the personal backing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has made it an issue of national prestige, which means it is all but impossible for anyone in authority to acknowledge that things are not quite going to plan.

So far, eight cheetahs have died out of a total of 20 imported from Africa and questions are growing about the reasons behind the deaths. There are even claims of an official cover up by the Indian authorities to spare the blushes of the country’s all-powerful ruler. 

The reintroduction of the cheetahs began last September amid much pomp and ceremony.