Two young male cheetahs from different parts of the world appear to have formed an unlikely alliance at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, offering wildlife researchers a rare glimpse into the social behaviour of the species under Project Cheetah.
One was born in India, the other travelled thousands of kilometres from Botswana. Unrelated and raised in different environments, the two appear to have chosen each other as companions. On the African plains, male cheetahs are rarely entirely solitary. Brothers from the same litter often leave their mother together and remain companions for years, hunting side by side, patrolling territories and defending each other against rivals.
At Kuno, however, KNG23 and Botswana-born CCB4 appear to be testing one of the established patterns of cheetah behavior and on their way to forming a rare coalition of unrelated male cheetahs.
KNG23, born to South African female Nirva, was separated from his mother, brother and sister in March 2026 after suffering a minor injury that required isolation. CCB4 was among the nine cheetahs from Botswana flown to India on February 28, 2026, and was then separated from his two sisters. The two males had no history together. But a series of encounters appears to have changed that. After recovering, KNG23 was reunited with his family and released into the wild with his mother, brother and sister on May 30. Yet, his interest in CCB4 appeared to persist. Even while separated from the Botswana-born male by a fence, KNG23 continued to show an interest in him.
Weeks later, in late July, KNG23 was injured in the wild and brought back to the soft-release enclosure for treatment. By then, CCB4 was alone, with his two sisters having moved into the wild. The two males were again placed near each other. This time, the field team observed behaviour that suggested they actively sought each other’s company. There was no guarantee that bringing unrelated males together would work. The team could have maintained the separation but chose to allow the animals an opportunity to interact naturally. The fence was brought down. The first meeting was peaceful as both appeared relaxed in each other’s presence. The next test was food. A kill was provided under close observation. Instead of confrontation, they shared the meal without aggression.
Over the following days, KNG23 began following CCB4 closely. When CCB4 made a kill, the two shared the food peacefully. On several occasions, KNG23 was already feeding while CCB4 was still securing the kill. Then came the vocalisations. When one disappeared from view, the other would chirp. The two also began grooming each other. When confronted by another coalition, they displayed signs of supporting one another. The emerging coalition offers another insight into Project Cheetah, which, after four years of learning and adaptation, is showing that restoring a species is about more than returning animals to a landscape.