New Delhi: Namibian cheetah Jwala gave birth to a litter of five cheetah cubs at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on Monday (March 9). The total number of non-captive African cheetahs in India – adults and cubs included – is now 53. 

“With this birth, the number of Indian-born thriving cubs has risen to 33, marking the 10th successful cheetah litter on Indian soil – another important milestone in India’s cheetah conservation journey,” Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said, while announcing the news of the new cheetah litter, via a social media post on X.

He called it a “historic and heart-warming moment for wildlife conservation”.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav meanwhile, called it a “proud moment for wildlife conservation and a strong testament to the success of India’s cheetah reintroduction efforts”. 

This is the third cheetah litter this year.

On February 18, South African cheetah Gamini gave birth to four cubs.

On February 7, another Namibian cheetah Aasha gave birth to a litter of five. 

India has also added to its African cheetah population with translocations from Botswana. On February 28, nine adult cheetahs – six females and three males – arrived at Kuno from the southern African country.

India’s ambitious Project Cheetah aims to introduce African cheetahs into select grassland habitats in India in an effort to ‘bring back’ the species to India. India used to be home to the Asiatic cheetah, a different sub-species, until they went extinct in the 1950s.

The Project has drawn flak and controversy for several reasons, with scientists pointing out that the amount of money spent on bringing in African cheetahs to India could have been used to protect and conserve beleaguered native species such as the Indian wolf and the Great Indian bustard – and use these species instead as symbols to revive grasslands across the country.

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