Wildlife; Namibian cheetah has birthed four

Cheetah ‘Jwala,’ brought in from Namibia, has given birth to four cubs at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, contrary to the earlier report of three, as stated by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday.

Minister Yadav expressed his delight on the social media platform X, saying, “Wildlife wonders! As frontline wildlife warriors managed to get closer to Jwala, they found she had given birth to four, not three, cubs.” He added, “This has increased our joy several times over. Congratulations all. We pray the cubs thrive and prosper at their home in India.”

The recent birth of the cubs follows closely after another cheetah, Aasha, delivered three cubs at the same park. Cheetahs, declared extinct in India in 1952, were reintroduced through the ambitious Project Cheetah in 2022. Eight cheetahs from Namibia were introduced, and later, in February 2023, twelve cheetahs from South Africa were translocated and released in Kuno National Park.

Unfortunately, last week, a cheetah translocated from Namibia died at Kuno National Park, bringing the total number of adult cheetahs and cubs born in India to seven since March 2023. Concerned about these deaths, the Supreme Court in May 2023 urged the Union government to submit a detailed affidavit explaining the reasons behind the fatalities and the remedial measures taken.

Kuno National Park, situated on the northern side of the Vidhyachal mountains, covers an area of 344.686 sq km and is named after a tributary of the Chambal River.