updated: Mar 04 2021, 18:51 ist If everything goes as planned over the year, the Kuno-Palpur National Park in Madhya Pradesh could become the country’s first-ever cheetah sanctuary. As it awaits the arrival of six to eight cheetahs from Namibia, the authorities are gearing up for the welcome. Although the plan of bringing cheetahs to India was in the works for more than a decade, it came close to a realisation after the Supreme Court’s nod in January 2020. The now-6,800 km 2 expanse of the proposed landscape aimed for a bigger glory—of being the first to have four charismatic cats—tigers, lions, cheetahs, and leopards. That plan went into jeopardy when procuring a few Asiatic lions from Gir National Park met with strong administrative resistance from Gujarat. For now, the arriving cheetahs may benefit from some of the park’s infrastructure intended for lions.