India-Born Female Cheetah Delivers 4 Cubs In Kuno, Population Rises To 57
The new cheetah mother was among six cubs born to Gamini in her first litter: Reports
BHOPAL: An India-born female cheetah has given birth to four cubs in the wild in the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district.
This is the first time an India-born female cheetah in Kuno gave birth to cubs in the wild in the park.
The new mother, offspring of South African female cheetah Gamini, along with her cubs were spotted in the wild in the KNP on Saturday, field director of the KNP Uttam Kumar Sharma told this newspaper.
“The mother and her three newborns are in good health”, he said.
The new cheetah mother was among six cubs born to Gamini in her first litter.
Three of the six cubs only survive now.
With the birth of four cubs, the cheetah population in India has gone up to 57, including the nine cheetahs brought to Kuno from Botswana a month ago.
While Kuno currently houses 54 including nine Botswana cheetahs, the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur district in Madhya Pradesh has three cheetahs, shifted from Kuno a few months ago.
Breaking the news of the birth of four cheetah cubs in Kuno, Union environment, forest and climate change minister Bhupendra Yadav described it a ‘historic moment’.
Taking to X, he said that “A historic moment unfolds at Kuno National Park as an Indian-born female cheetah of Gamini, aged 25 months, has given birth to four cubs in the wild- marking a major milestone in India’s cheetah conservation journey.
Having been in the wild for over a year, this is the first recorded birth in the wild since the reintroduction began in 2022, and notably, the first such instance involving an Indian-born female.
This is a significant step towards achieving the core objectives of the project- survival and breeding under natural conditions.
This achievement reflects the growing adaptation of cheetahs to Indian conditions”.
Chief minister Mohan Yadav has hailed the arrival of four newborns in Kuno, saying that “Madhya Pradesh is now emerging as a key Centre hub for the revival of cheetahs.”
The cheetah reintroduction project started with translocation of eight cheetahs from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 more from South Africa six months later to Kuno.
Last month, nine cheetahs were brought to Kuno from Botswana.
