Indian Scientists To ‘Revive’ Extinct Indian Cheetahs, Here’s How – News18

Last Updated:April 19, 2025, 16:43 is

A team at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences has been working to resurrect the extinct species of Indian cheetahs through whole genome sequencing.

Days after successfully reviving the once-extinct dire wolves, scientists are now gearing up to bring back the Indian cheetah. Known as the world’s fastest land animal, the cheetah was officially declared extinct in India in 1952, after years of hunting and habitat loss. Today, the majority of the world’s cheetah population is found in Africa, primarily in South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana.

Revival

With Colossal Biosciences having created three dire wolf pups using ancient DNA, cloning, and gene-editing technology, the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow has collaborated with the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) to “revive” the Indian cheetah. According to The Times of India, BSIP is in the final phase of the whole genome sequencing (WGS) process and has also outlined plans to conduct gene editing of the animals.

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The revival plan includes reintroducing the animals into the womb of an African cheetah through surrogacy. “We have samples of all extinct Indian cheetahs, and we are now in the final phase of its whole genome sequencing (WGS) that will provide a comprehensive analysis of the cheetah’s entire DNA, enabling the identification of genetic variations that may have led to disease or increased disease risk, eventually leading to its extinction,” said BSIP senior scientist and research lead Niraj Rai.

He also shared that the WGS process will be completed in the next three months, allowing them to clear the variations between the Indian cheetah and the African one. “Thereafter, we will make changes in the DNA of the African cheetah; this will be done to make it India-specific,” he continued. It is worth mentioning that the gene editing would allow the introduction of Indian cheetah traits in the same way as dire wolf pups were resurrected at Colossal Biosciences.

Also Read: Explained: Once-Extinct Dire Wolves Are Alive Again, What Does It Mean?

Are There No Cheetahs In India?

As of now, the only cheetahs in India are the ones that were brought from Namibia and South Africa during 2022 and 2023. After 20 cheetahs were moved to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, the total number now stands at 26, including 14 cubs born on Indian soil.

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Once widely found across India, cheetahs are believed to have vanished in 1947 when Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya, Surguja, in Chhattisgarh, hunted and shot the last three known Asiatic cheetahs in the country. Later, the Indian government officially declared the species to be extinct in 1952.

Besides over-hunting being a key reason behind their disappearance, the shrinking of grasslands and decreasing prey also contributed to their decline.