Bhopal, Oct 5 (IANS) Five cubs were born at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Monday, taking India’s total cheetah population to 60, including 41 born in the country, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced.
The cubs were born to ‘KJP21’, a 32-month-old Indian-born female cheetah, in what is being seen as another significant milestone for Project Cheetah.
KJP21 is the third female cheetah born in India to give birth, after ‘Mukhi’ and ‘KGP12’.
The development is also significant as the five cubs mark the beginning of the Botswanan lineage in India’s cheetah population. The father of the cubs is a male cheetah brought from Botswana, adding a new genetic lineage to the country’s growing cheetah population.
“Another historic and joyous milestone for Project Cheetah!” Minister Yadav said in a post on X while announcing the birth of the cubs.
The latest births have taken the number of Indian-born cheetahs to 41, while the overall population, including those brought from African countries, has reached 60.
The minister described the birth as another step in the development of the next generation of India’s cheetah population and congratulated the veterinarians, field staff, managers and others associated with the project.
“Another generation born on Indian soil, adding yet another beautiful chapter to the remarkable story of cheetah reintroduction in India,” Yadav said.
The development comes during Wildlife Week 2026 and marks another addition to the cheetah population at Kuno, which has remained at the centre of India’s efforts to re-establish the species in the country.
India launched Project Cheetah in September 2022 with the translocation of cheetahs from Namibia to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. Cheetahs were subsequently brought from South Africa and Botswana as part of the programme aimed at establishing a viable and genetically diverse population.
The birth of cubs to Indian-born females is considered an important phase of the reintroduction programme, as it indicates reproduction by a new generation of cheetahs born in the country.
The addition of the Botswanan lineage is expected to further contribute to the genetic diversity of India’s growing cheetah population.
–IANS
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