Skip to content

Six Cheetahs Return to Zambia’s Luangwa Landscape After Nearly 30 Years

Collared female cheetah in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa
Conservation · Reintroductions & translocations

Six cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) have been returned to the Greater Luangwa Ecosystem in Zambia, beginning a programme to restore the species to a landscape where it had been absent for almost three decades. The Zambian Ministry of Tourism announced the successful translocation in July 2026 after more than ten years of ecological assessment and planning.

The founder group consists of three males and three females sourced from selected protected reserves in South Africa. The males include a coalition of two brothers and one solitary male, while the females include two sisters and one solitary female. The animals underwent veterinary checks before being flown to Zambia and transported to a prepared release site in the southern part of North Luangwa National Park.

The six cheetahs are entering a staged soft-release process

This is not an immediate release into the wider landscape. The cheetahs are going through a staged soft-release process. They first spend time in acclimatisation enclosures, where they can recover from transport and become familiar with their surroundings. Selected animals will then move into a fenced 20-square-kilometre sanctuary before eventual release into the wider ecosystem.

Satellite collars support close monitoring during establishment

All six cheetahs have been fitted with satellite tracking collars. A team of eight specially trained Zambian monitors, supported by veterinarians and conservation specialists, will follow the animals closely during the establishment phase. Monitoring is intended to reveal how well they adapt, whether they survive and establish territories, and whether problems such as disease or conflict emerge early enough for managers to respond.

The Greater Luangwa Ecosystem covers a vast connected landscape including North Luangwa and South Luangwa national parks and surrounding Game Management Areas. Its size, prey base and connectivity were central reasons for selecting the region for the restoration programme.

The six animals are the first phase of a longer-term programme to restore a self-sustaining cheetah population in the Greater Luangwa Ecosystem. The project uses phased acclimatisation, satellite tracking and continued monitoring, with further introductions planned to strengthen the founding population.

Sources and image credit

  1. Ministry of Tourism, Zambia. (2026, July 24). Historic conservation milestone marks the return of cheetahs to the Luangwa landscape after three decades.Primary government announcement; translocation from North Luangwa reported on 22 July 2026.

Image: Bernard DUPONT — collared female cheetah in the Auob Riverbed, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa; representative image. Source: Wikimedia Commons. · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Reintroductions & translocations

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.