‘Things not going well’: plan to return cheetahs to India under fire after six die within months

Project to reintroduce big cat to the wild set back by loss of adults and cubs at reserve

A controversial attempt to reintroduce cheetahs to the wild has suffered a major setback after three adults and three cubs died over the past eight months.

The deaths have led to criticisms of Project Cheetah, a 4.8m international scheme that involved moving 20 animals from Africa to India's Kuno National Park earlier this year. Some conservationists say not enough space was reserved for the cheetahs while others complained that the project was set up too hastily.