Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced on Wednesday that the cheetah named "Jwala," which was brought in from Namibia, gave birth to four cubs at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, not the three that had been reported the day before.
"Wildlife wonders! Minister Yadav said on social networking platform X that while approaching Jwala, frontline wildlife fighters discovered that she had given birth to four cubs, not three.
This has brought us many times more joy. Many congratulations to all of you. The minister prayed that the cubs would develop and thrive at their new home in India.
Only a few weeks had passed since Aasha, another cheetah, gave birth to three cubs in the same park.
In India, cheetahs were declared extinct in 1952, but thanks to an ambitious project, they were brought back in 2022.
Eight cheetahs that were brought from Namibia were placed in India in 2022 as part of Project Cheetah. In February 2023, twelve South African cheetahs were subsequently relocated and released in Kuno National Park.
A cheetah that was relocated from Namibia passed away at Kuno National Park last week. Since March 2023, three cubs born in India and seven adult cheetahs have passed away.
Concerned about the large cats' mortality, the Supreme Court requested in May 2023 that the Union government submit a thorough affidavit outlining the causes of the deaths and the corrective actions done to stop them.
Kuno National Park occupies 344.686 square kilometers and is located on the northern slope of the Vidhyachal mountains. It was given its name in honour of a Chambal River tributary.
