Kuno’s new cubs: Namibian cheetah Jwala has given birth to four cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, contrary to the previous report of three cubs, according to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
The births, first reported on Tuesday, came just weeks after three cubs were born to another Namibian cheetah, Aasha.
Four cheetah cubs
"Wildlife wonders! As frontline wildlife warriors managed to get closer to Jwala, they found she has given birth to four, not three, cubs. This has increased our joy several times over. Congratulations all. We pray the cubs thrive and prosper at their home in India," Yadav said in a post on X.
According to officials, the cubs were born to Jwala on January 20. This is Jwala's second litter and comes after a gap of 10 months. Earlier in March 2023, Siyaya, who was later renamed as Jwala, had given birth to four cubs, but only one of them survived. Jwala was also translocated to the KNP from Namibia.
Project Cheetah
Jwala, Aasha and Siyaya are among the cheetahs translocated to India from Namibia under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Project Cheetah', aimed at re-introducing the only large carnivore species that went extinct in independent India.
Cheetah, the fastest land animal, was declared extinct in India in 1952. Cheetahs were translocated to the Kuno National Park from South Africa and Namibia as part of the central government's ambitious plan to revive their population in India.
Under the Cheetah Reintroduction Project, eight big cats from Namibia, including, five females and three males, were released into enclosures at the park on September 17, 2022. In February 2023, another 12 cheetahs were brought to the park from South Africa. In December last year, four cheetahs were released into the wild, but two of them were later captured and shifted to bomas (enclosures).
Project Cheetah involves the relocation of 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park. Launched by the Indian government, it aims to reintroduce cheetahs to the wild in India, where they became extinct nearly seven decades ago.
Also Read: Good news! Namibian cheetah Asha at Kuno National Park gives birth to three cubs
