Project Cheetah Records First Litter in the Wild
New Delhi: In a first, an African cheetah in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park gave birth to a litter of cubs in the wild – and not in a monitored enclosure. Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav announced the birth of four cheetah cubs to the 25-month-old daughter of Gamini – a cheetah brought in from South Africa – in a social media post on X.
KGP12, the cheetah that gave birth to the latest litter, is the second cub of Gamini’s first litter.
The birth marks “a major milestone in India’s cheetah conservation journey”, Yadav said.
“Having been in the wild for over a year, this is the first recorded birth in the wild since the reintroduction began in 2022, and notably, the first such instance involving an Indian-born female,” he said. “This is a significant step toward achieving the core objectives of the project – survival and breeding under natural conditions.”
He added that this “achievement reflects the growing adaptation of cheetahs to Indian conditions”.
Kuno milestone moment 🐾
A historic moment unfolds at Kuno National Park as an Indian-born female Cheetah of Gamini, aged 25 months, has given birth to four cubs in the wild—marking a major milestone in India’s cheetah conservation journey.
Having been in the wild for over a… pic.twitter.com/ABjDfxiJua
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) April 11, 2026
All cheetah litters so far have been born to African cheetahs in monitored enclosures in Kuno. The last cheetah litter was born to African cheetah Jwala on March 9.
The total number of cheetahs – adults and cubs – is now 57.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav claimed that the state was “now also emerging as the main center for the 'revival' of cheetahs”.
“The birth of 4 cubs by a 25-month-old female cheetah of Indian origin, born from 'Gamini', in the open forests is proof that the land of Madhya Pradesh is fully conducive to the lineage expansion of cheetahs. Our commitment to nature and wildlife conservation is succeeding,” he claimed in a post on X.
However, only Madhya Pradesh has cheetahs so far: African cheetahs have not been introduced to any protected area in any other state.
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