Ahmedabad: Ahead of the much-awaited introduction of African cheetahs in Gujarat, the forest department has identified a massive 20,000-hectare area in the Banni grasslands of Kutch as a future habitat for the big cats, demonstrating long-term planning for the species’ expansion in the state.

The proposed habitat, located in the Ghasia region of Banni, is nearly 30 times larger than the existing 660-hectare cheetah breeding enclosure currently being developed. The move aims at accommodating future population growth once cheetahs are introduced and begin breeding in Gujarat. With this expansion plan, the Banni cheetah conservation project is expected to become the country’s second-largest cheetah breeding centre after Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

It is learned that the 20,000-hectare tract lies within the 3.84 lakh-hectare Banni grassland ecosystem and is located away from the breeding enclosure. Since the entire area falls under forest department jurisdiction, no additional land acquisition or permissions will be required for future expansion.

The existing breeding facility includes quarantine and soft-release bomas spread over about 60 hectares, along with 10 fenced enclosures capable of housing up to 10 cheetahs. As the population increases, officials plan to fence suitable portions of the newly identified area and gradually release the animals there.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is expected to allocate three to six cheetahs to Gujarat, most likely from Kuno, during September–October this year. While the Gujarat government has provided the land for the project, the Centre has borne the remaining project cost of around ₹18 crore. DeshGujarat