Quick facts & introductory narrative
Project Launch
Pre-project preparation and planning 2017-2024; Official government go-ahead and project initiated May 2024
Innovative Approach:
Use of a 2,000 ha (20 km²) predator‑proof release sanctuary to evaluate and improve release strategies
Our affiliates
Project Timeline
Last sighting of Cheetah in the landscape
Early discussions explore the potential for cheetah recovery in Zambia. The National Conservation Action Plan for Cheetah and African Wild Dog for Zambia (2019–2023) identifies the Luangwa Valley as a recoverable cheetah range.
Background surveys conducted under the Zambian Carnivore Programme. Senior wildlife officials visit Luangwa, sparking wider conversations about feasibility.
Formal planning starts. Extensive government engagement ensures this is a nationally led initiative, not just an NGO-driven effort. Applications for funding are submitted.
Official government approval granted. Project formally launched, led by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), coordinated by Cheetah Conservation Initiative (CCI) with field partners Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), Conservation South Luangwa (CSL), North Luangwa Conservation Programme (NLCP), and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT).
Intensive Groundwork:
Preparations for the reintroduction are supported by significant capital investment in infrastructure and operational capacity. This includes the construction of four 50m×100m bomas for acclimatisation and the establishment of a 2,000 ha (20km2) sanctuary to build site fidelity and encourage breeding before wider release. Further investment includes upgrading roads for all-season use, establishing two base camps, purchasing seven vehicles and an aircraft, renovating an airstrip, constructing a hangar, installing a radio repeater, and acquiring firefighting equipment.
Alongside this investment, capacity is being strengthened through the training of eight cheetah monitors to provide year-round monitoring, firefighting teams, and a pilot, as well as through the deployment of one Community Conservation Officer and three Educators in the area. A detailed Reintroduction Plan has also been endorsed by the IUCN Cat Specialist Group. The programme is delivering direct local benefits through short-term casual contracts for construction, firebreaks, road works, fence-line clearing, and fencing; the recruitment of Community Scouts and the establishment of community de-snaring, fencing, and fire teams.
Intensive Groundwork:
Preparations for the reintroduction are supported by significant capital investment in infrastructure and operational capacity. This includes the construction of four 50m×100m bomas for acclimatisation and the establishment of a 2,000 ha (20km2) sanctuary to build site fidelity and encourage breeding before wider release. Further investment includes upgrading roads for all-season use, establishing two base camps, purchasing seven vehicles and an aircraft, renovating an airstrip, constructing a hangar, installing a radio repeater, and acquiring firefighting equipment.
Alongside this investment, capacity is being strengthened through the training of eight cheetah monitors to provide year-round monitoring, firefighting teams, and a pilot, as well as through the deployment of one Community Conservation Officer and three Educators in the area.
The programme is delivering direct local benefits through short-term casual contracts for construction, firebreaks, road works, fence-line clearing, and fencing; the recruitment of Community Scouts and the establishment of community de-snaring, fencing, and fire teams.
First cheetahs translocated from South Africa’s managed metapopulation. Carefully selected for genetic diversity, predator awareness, and breeding potential. Releases begin in phases.
Establish a viable, self‑sustaining wild population of cheetah across the 70,000 km² Luangwa landscape, while securing community benefits, habitat connectivity, and site protection that will endure regardless of cheetah survival outcomes.
This project is a collaboration between the following:
With funding from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the initiative seeks to reintroduce cheetah into the Luangwa Valley Ecosystem — a 70,000 km² landscape where cheetah were last recorded in 1997.
Reintroduction:
The reintroduction planning began during the 2017–2018 revision of Zambia’s National Conservation Action Plan for Cheetah and African Wild Dog (2019–2023). Following several years of technical preparation, partner coordination, and community and government engagement, the project received official government approval in May 2024.
Project Aim & Impact Goals
The Luangwa Valley Ecosystem historically supported a cheetah population, although the species disappeared from the area in the 1990s. While several factors are thought to have contributed to the cheetah’s disappearance, long term active engagement from local and international conservation NGOs has strengthened security in the protected areas within the Valley and secured support for conservation from neighbouring communities.
This project aims to take advantage of the improvements in protection, community support and connectivity to restore cheetah to its former range in the ecosystem. This will be done through an integrated, holistic approach to cheetah conservation via seven Impact Goals:
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To put in place clear, best practice IUCN-endorsed guidelines to optimise cheetah translocation outcomes.
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To measurably improve the security of the Luangwa Valley landscape for wildlife, including improvements in access for conservation and management activities.
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To secure integrated land use connectivity through the Munyamadzi Game Management Area between South and North Luangwa National Parks to improve the resilience of the ecosystem.
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To improve community support for wildlife conservation in general, and cheetah in particular, including the development of an agreed adaptive co-management governance system in key areas of connectivity between South and North Luangwa National Parks.
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To tangibly improve well-being (material, cultural and social) of local communities through conservation-friendly development projects across the likely range of the cheetah.
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To successfully translocate a minimum of 15 cheetah back into the Luangwa Valley landscape.
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To demonstrate the short-term persistence, including reproduction, of the reintroduced cheetah population, and to develop a long-term management plan to secure population viability.
Project Plan Highlights and Cheetah Relocation
Release site & infrastructure
- Release Site: Southern North Luangwa National Park
- Infrastructure: 20 km² predator‑proof sanctuary; four 50 × 100 m holding bomas; perimeter fencing; feeding and veterinary facilities; monitoring camps and communications.
- Monitoring Capacity: Eight trained cheetah monitors; ground and aerial patrols for site security; aerial monitoring capability, satellite collars for tracking the cheetah’s post-release movements.
Transfer cheetah on arrival to holding bomas inside the sanctuary, where teams monitor health, feeding and behaviour with minimal human contact.
Habitat suitability map of the Luangwa Valley showing the proposed release site
Identifies southern North Luangwa NP as the preferred release site, based on soil type, water points, predator densities, and habitat analysis.
Cheetah reintroduction - Stages
The reintroduction follows three carefully managed phases: prepare; relocate and acclimatise; then release and monitor.
This structure keeps the focus on cheetah welfare, community benefits and establishing a viable cheetah population over time, while also reflecting the extensive due diligence behind the project, including expert committee input, independent ethical review, partner coordination, government approval and IUCN Cat Specialist Group endorsement.
1. Prepare the landscape, partners and communities
1.1
Complete government approvals, confirm funding and logistics, and coordinate partner roles across DNPW, CCI, ZCP, CSL, NLCP and EWT.
1.2
Convene a reintroduction committee of independent experts and project partners to guide development of the detailed reintroduction plan; submit the final plan for independent ethical review; and obtain review and endorsement from the IUCN Cat Specialist Group.
1.3
Prepare the 20 km² predator-proof sanctuary, holding bomas, fencing, feeding and veterinary facilities, monitoring camps, communications, patrols and rapid-response capacity.
1.4
Continue Village Action Group consultations, land-use planning, school outreach, conservation agriculture training, chilli patrols, local employment and benefit-sharing mechanisms so communities are part of the project from the start.
1.5
Select founder cheetah for health, genetics and suitability for release, prioritising individuals that have lived alongside other large predators and are not habituated to humans, followed by veterinary checks, disease screening, quarantine and pre-export preparation.
2. Relocate and acclimatise the cheetahs safely
2.1
Move selected cheetah using approved welfare, immobilisation, collaring, quarantine and transport procedures, with EWT coordinating export logistics and compliance in South Africa.
2.2
Transfer cheetah on arrival to holding bomas inside the sanctuary, where teams monitor health, feeding and behaviour with minimal human contact.
2.3
Release the cheetah from the holding bomas into the sanctuary to acclimatise to local conditions and develop site fidelity before their release into the wider landscape.
3. Release, monitor and adapt
3.1
Release cheetahs in small cohorts to support the development of natural social behaviours and interactions, site fidelity and careful adjustment to their new surroundings
3.2
Monitor released cheetah using satellite collars, camera traps, aerial checks and ground patrols, with intensive monitoring during the first weeks.
3.3
Adapt release timing, feeding, veterinary support or other interventions based on observed behaviour and welfare needs.
3.4
Continue long-term tracking, conflict-response systems, community engagement, periodic veterinary checks, partner reviews and protocol updates to support a self-sustaining population.
Community & Coexistence
Community measures and benefits
- Village Action Groups: participatory land‑use planning and corridor mapping.
- Chilli Patrols & Livestock Recovery: trained teams use chilli-based deterrents to reduce elephant crop damage and help mitigate human–wildlife conflict.
- Education & Livelihoods: conservation agriculture training, school clubs, Mini Change Groups and local employment in monitoring and site security.
- Budget Focus: The significant portion of project budget directed to communities and site security to ensure long‑term local gains even if reintroduction outcomes vary.
With funding from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the initiative seeks to reintroduce cheetah into the Luangwa Valley Ecosystem — a 70,000 km² landscape where cheetah were last recorded in 1997.
Contact
Feel free to contact us about the reintroduction of Cheetah into the Greater Luangwa Ecosystem
Project Lead
Prof. Sarah Durant, Program Leader, Africa Range‑Wide Cheetah Conservation Initiative (CCI) — Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
sarah.durant@ioz.ac.uk
Project Coordinator:
Dr. Rosemary Groom, Regional Coordinator (Southern Africa), Africa Range-Wide Cheetah Conservation Initiative (CCI), and Coordinator of Luangwa Cheetah Project
rosemary.groom@ioz.ac.uk
Acknowledgements: Project led by DNPW; coordinated by CCI (ZSL); field partners FZS (NLCP), ZCP, CSL, EWT; funded by HGBF; endorsed by the IUCN Cat Specialist Group.