If you can’t go to Africa, Africa has come to you. Flourishing apace in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park are the sleek and speedy cheetahs from Botswana and Namibia, as they’ve finally settled down here in India amidst the open expanses of the savannahs that remind them of home. The expansive grasslands, dry deciduous forests and healthy prey base made Kuno an ideal choice to kick off the project involving the return of the cheetah to India, after its complete extinction by 1952.

Namibian cheetah Jwala, on 9 March 2026, gave birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park, spread across the Sheopur and Shivpuri districts of Madhya Pradesh. This exciting development has pushed India’s total cheetah population to 53 individuals, including both translocated adults and cubs born in India. Of these, three have been moved to the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, to create a second conservation landscape within Madhya Pradesh.

It brightens the future of the return of the cheetah to India. This ninth successful litter on Indian soil heralds the comfortable adaptation of the big cats to their new environs—the wide-open savannahs, their natural habitat. Project Cheetah, the world’s first intercontinental large carnivore relocation initiative, launched by the Government of India in 2022, forms a pivotal part of an ongoing international conservation cooperation in establishing a stable and genetically diverse cheetah population. Kuno tour packages depart from Gwalior, Jaipur, Agra, and Delhi.

Through Project Cheetah, India aims not only to restore its cheetah population but also to revitalize its savannah and grassland ecosystems which support a rich diversity of wildlife. Tropical grasslands are called savannah; temperate grasslands are further split into two categories— prairies and steppes.

This open ecosystem is rich in biodiversity and characterised by short grasses, a scattering of thorny trees, and drought-resistant shrubs. Savannah grasslands form almost 10 percent of India’s geographical expanses. But a cause for growing concern is the approach that these biodiverse grasslands are ‘wasteland’, resulting in the alarming rate at which they are diminishing because of the spurt in development and farming activities.

Located primarily in the central and north-eastern regions of the country, the savannahs are ecologically significant in purpose. These open, grassy ecosystems have been supporting pastoral communities for at least 750 years, well before the colonial interventions of forestry and modern land use change.

Nature’s wondrous carbon sinkholes for tackling the burgeoning dangers of climate change, Indian savannahs form a complex ecosystem supporting 206 different endemic plant species as well as over 270 bird species, mammals and reptiles and insects such as beetles, bees and other crop pollinators. The key points to consider for the conservation and protection of these fragile savannah grasslands are biodiversity, community livelihoods and containing the carbon footprint. Any disturbance to these grasslands would harm the entire chain of command.

Nature lovers adore the savannah region around Pune. Birdwatching aficionados swear on the amazing avifaunal experiences they’ve had around Pune, at Saswad, 35 km away, where the savannahs are home to over 350 bird species and 25 mammal species. While the grasslands cover a massive expanse of roughly 6,000 sq km, Kanifnath temple premises, the Dron factory area, and the Waghapur area are good places for sightings. The choicest avian sightings at Saswad, from November to February and again from August to September, are of the endemic Lesser Florican, Painted Francolin, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Grey Francolin, Montagu’s Harrier the Great Horned Owl, Bonelli’s Eagle and the Lesser Kestrel, a small falcon species which migrates here from southern Africa or the Amur Falcon from Siberia heading for South Africa.

Characteristic of savannah habitats, and a member of the Bustard family, the Lesser Florican is currently listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

You should keep your eyes peeled for the Chinkara, also known as Indian Gazelle, which favours this habitat. The Indian grey wolf is the king of the savannah food chain. It co-exists with other species such as the Bengal Fox, Leopard, Golden Jackal, Striped Hyena, Indian Mongoose and civets. The Fan Throated Lizard, a typical savannah group of lizards, is only found in the Indian savannahs.

In the semi-arid expanses of the Desert National Park in Rajasthan, you can take a guided safari in the winter to discover another endangered avian species—the Great Indian Bustard, which also favours grassland habitats.

During your travels in the tea growing regions of Assam in India’s northeast region, you will have a chance to greet the Greater One-horned or Indian Rhino, the largest of all rhino species. Tracing a route along the mighty Brahmaputra River, you will find these great herbivores foraging amidst the alluvial Terai-Dooars savannah grasslands locally known as kans and baruwa. The region is the world’s tallest grassland, and is also home to globally threatened species, such as the Pygmy hog, Hispid hare, Bengal florican, and Gharial. Other denizens of this habitat include the Asiatic Elephant, Indian Water Buffalo, Indian hog deer, Swamp deer, Sambar, Indian muntjac and Chital. It’s a prime hunting spot for the Bengal tiger, Indian leopard and Clouded leopard. In India, the Terai-Duars savanna is part of the Manas National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

According to a research study authored by Ashish N. Nerlekar and Digvijay Patil, protecting the savannahs is critical for their ecological importance. “A lot of savanna biodiversity is also sacred,” which means they have cultural value in addition to ecological value,” Nerlekar points out.