After decades of being extinct in India, cheetahs have finally come home as part of a well-coordinated relocation effort to restore their presence on the subcontinent. There is so much optimism about the future of the cheetah population in India, as the animals look set to once again flourish in the nation.
Relocating cheetahs to India is a mistake for conservation, as the country does not have the habitat or prey to sustainably support the endangered species. While there is a history of cheetahs having thrived in India, the subspecies translocated to India differ from the Asiatic cheetah that originally roamed. Many risks come with relocation efforts and, in this case, the pros do not outweigh the cons.