Two More Cheetah Cubs Born in Kuno National Park

According to a recent report, there are also plans to release female cheetah Aasha and its three cubs in the wild in Kuno.

New Delhi: Two more African cheetah cubs have been born in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, where India’s ambitious Project Cheetah is unfolding. Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav announced this in a post on his social media handle today (February 4), adding that this now brings the total number of cheetahs currently at Kuno to 26. 

There are also plans to release female cheetah Aasha and its three cubs in the wild in Kuno, as per a recent news report by The Times of India. 

Two more cubs born

“Female cheetah Veera, age about 5 years, brought from Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa, has given birth to 2 cubs today and we celebrate the hope and future they bring,” he wrote in his post on social media platform X. 

The cheetah named Veera is one of the five females and seven males brought in from South Africa in February 2023. 

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav also announced on X that two cheetah cubs were born to Veera on February 4.

“With the ever increasing population of cheetahs in the state, tourism in the state is getting a new boost, which is opening new doors for employment. We are always ready for the conservation, promotion and restoration of all wildlife along with cheetahs,” he wrote.

Also read: Two Years On, How Is India’s Project Cheetah Faring?

With the birth of Veera’s two cubs, the number of African cheetah cubs born on Indian soil since Project Cheetah kicked off in September 2022 has increased to 21. However, seven cubs have died so far. The latest deaths were of two cubs born to cheetah Nirva in November last year – authorities found the mutilated bodies of the cubs around three days after they were born.

Of the 20 adults brought in to India for Project Cheetah from Namibia and South Africa, eight have died, due to various causes. So currently, Kuno is home to 12 adults and 14 cubs – 26 African cheetahs in total.

Cheetah and cubs in the wild?

According to a recent news report, there are plans to release a female cheetah named Aasha and her three cubs in the wild in Kuno soon. As per the TOI report, the date of the release of the cheetah and her cubs, which are currently slightly more than a year old, will be decided after taking into consideration local weather conditions.

Currently, two males are roaming in the wild in Kuno – and outside the park. Authorities released Agni and Vayu, the two males, into the wild on December 4 last year. 

Since their release, Agni was spotted roaming the roads in Sheopur in late December, but authorities have claimed that the cheetah is now back in Kuno National Park, according to a report by Hindustan Times.