Three More Cheetah Cubs Born in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park
New Delhi: Gamini, a cheetah brought in from South Africa as part of India’s Project Cheetah, has given birth to three cubs in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav announced this in a post on social media platform X on February 18, calling the birth of the cubs a “roaring new chapter” at Kuno.
This is the ninth successful cheetah litter on Indian soil and takes the number of surviving Indian-born cubs to 27, Yadav said. India’s total cheetah population has now reached 38, and this was “a powerful symbol of the country’s determined and historic conservation effort”, he said.
Another good news from Kuno🐆🌿
Kuno welcomes three new cubs - A roaring new chapter at Kuno on the occasion of completion of 3 years of arrival of cheetahs from South Africa.
Celebrations echo through Kuno National Park as Gamini, the South African cheetah and second-time… pic.twitter.com/JpqnfXlpYl
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) February 18, 2026
“Each birth strengthens the foundation of Project Cheetah and reflects the passion, perseverance, and round-the-clock dedication of the field staff and veterinary teams who have nurtured this dream into reality,” he said.
Earlier on February 7, Kuno witnessed the birth of five cubs.
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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