2 November 2026 | Jaipur, Rajasthan
A male cheetah from Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park has crossed into Rajasthan’s Baran district, drawing attention once again to the growing movement of cheetahs across the Kuno landscape.
The approximately three-year-old cheetah, identified as CCB-4, is particularly well known for developing an unusual social bond with KNG-23, an India-born male cheetah. The two animals are unrelated and were born in different countries.
Cheetah Tracks Movement Through Baran
According to forest officials, CCB-4 entered Rajasthan on Friday night after moving from Kurkuta village in Madhya Pradesh into Kurkuti village in Rajasthan. It subsequently travelled through Dua, Silori and Khushiyara before reaching the Anjroda forests in Baran district.
Teams from Kuno National Park and the Rajasthan Forest Department’s Kelwara range are monitoring the animal’s movements.
CCB-4 was among nine cheetahs—three males and six females—translocated from Botswana to India in February 2026 as part of Project Cheetah. The animals arrived in Gwalior aboard an Indian Air Force aircraft before being transported to Kuno by helicopter on February 28.
An Unusual Friendship Between Two Male Cheetahs
CCB-4 first attracted attention in September after developing an unusual association with KNG-23, a male cheetah born in India to the female cheetah Nirva.
Male cheetahs commonly form coalitions with their brothers, but these two animals, despite having different origins and no family relationship, were observed spending considerable time together.
Kuno officials reported that the pair hunted and fed together, groomed one another and maintained contact through characteristic calls. Their association has been described as a rare example of coalition formation between unrelated males.
Whether this relationship develops into a stable, long-term coalition remains a matter of observation.
Baran’s Forests Offer Potential Cheetah Habitat
Baran’s open and semi-arid landscape, with its grasslands and scrub forests, is considered suitable for cheetahs. Such habitats allow the animals to spot prey and use open stretches for running.
Potential prey in the region includes spotted deer, blackbuck, chinkara, young nilgai and smaller livestock. Forest experts believe that parts of Baran could support cheetahs if prey populations are strengthened and grasslands protected.
This is not the first time cheetahs from Kuno have moved into Baran. Earlier, male cheetahs KP-2 and KP-3, as well as female cheetah Veera and her cub, were reported in the district’s forests. Veera reportedly spent around 27 days in the region before returning to Kuno in September.
Inter-State Landscape Crucial for Project Cheetah
The repeated movement of cheetahs between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan highlights the importance of managing the larger Kuno landscape beyond the boundaries of the national park.
Protecting suitable grasslands, maintaining prey populations and coordinating monitoring between the two state forest departments will be important for the long-term success of Project Cheetah.
CCB-4’s latest movement is therefore not merely an individual animal’s journey across a state boundary; it also underlines the need for a connected landscape where cheetahs can disperse and establish territories safely.
Source: The Times of India; Kuno National Park officials, as quoted in the report.
Last Updated: 2 November 2026
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