Namibian cheetah gives birth to three cubs in MP's Kuno National Park | Watch video of 'adorable' cubs

A Namibian cheetah named by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given birth to three cubs in the Kuno National Park. The news was shared online by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, with many hailing it as a ‘roaring success’ for the ongoing conservation project. India had brought several felines from Namibia and South Africa as part of the Cheetah Reintroduction Project in 2022.

“Purrs in the wild! Thrilled to share that Kuno National Park has welcomed three new members. The cubs have been born to Namibian Cheetah Aasha,” tweeted Environment Minister Yadav.

“Today, three cheetah cubs were born at Kuno National Park located in Sheopur district under the Cheetah Project started under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Government. It is a special day in the world. There was a time when cheetahs were extinct from Asia. Now a new sprout has sprouted (referring to birth of Cheetah cubs),” cheered Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

Visuals shared online showed the cubs meowing as they paw at the grass and have been dubbed “adorable” by numerous netizens. 

The last cheetah died in the country in 1947 in Korea district in present-day Chhattisgarh, which was earlier part of Madhya Pradesh, and the species was declared extinct in India in 1952.

The first batch of eight Namibian cheetahs were released into the Kuno National Park by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in mid-September 2022. This was followed by the translocation of around two dozen cheetahs from South Africa during the new few months. Intercontinental long-distance cheetah translocations have an inherent risk of mortality and eight cats out of the initial 20 have died since their relocation. 

India recorded its first cheetah birth in 75 years last March after one of the big cats translocated from Namibia gave birth to four cubs. Only of them survived and continues to show a normal growth pattern.

(With inputs from agencies)