The cheetah, declared extinct in India in 1952, is set to make a comeback in the country this year. The world’s fastest land animal is being translocated from South Africa and Namibia, home to the world’s largest populations of the wild cat.

This is the first time a large carnivore is being moved across continents, but can the ambitious project succeed? Many Indian conservationists are sceptical of the idea, and call it a cosmetic project. Some also question the priority being given to the cheetah, which isn’t a part of the national wildlife action plan.

Will the African cheetahs really roam free in India’s forest reserves soon? Will their numbers grow? And will they readily adapt to the different ecosystem that the country offers?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss the challenges and opportunities in bringing the cheetah back to India.

Presenter: Devina Gupta Contributors: Vivek Menon, founder and executive director, Wildlife Trust of India; Professor Adrian Tordiffe, vet wildlife specialist, University of Pretoria; Dr Ravi Chellam, CEO, Metastring Foundation and coordinator, Biodiversity Collaborative