Three cubs born to Namibian cheetah ’Jwala’ at Kuno National Park

Namibian Cheetah, Jwala, has recently welcomed three cubs, following closely after the recent birth of cubs by another Namibian Cheetah named Aasha.

The video capturing this joyous moment was shared by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on his social media handle 'X'.

In a post, Yadav wrote, “Kuno’s new cubs! Namibian Cheetah named Jwala has given birth to three cubs. This comes just weeks after Namibian Cheetah Aasha gave birth to her cubs. Congratulations to all wildlife frontline warriors and wildlife lovers across the country. May Bharat’s wildlife thrive…”

Earlier on January 16, Namibian cheetah Shaurya died at KNP in Madhya Pradesh, as confirmed by state Forest Minister Nagar Singh Chouhan. This marks the 10th fatality since the reintroduction of African big cats in India in 2022.

Also Read: Namibian Cheetah Shaurya dies at MP’s Kuno National Park, cause of death yet to be ascertained; 10 deaths so far

Cheetahs were translocated to the KNP from South Africa and Namibia as part of the central government's ambitious initiative to revive their population in India. The Cheetah Reintroduction Project involved releasing eight big cats from Namibia, comprising five females and three males, into enclosures at KNP on September 17, 2022.

Subsequently, in February 2023, an additional 12 cheetahs were transported to the park from South Africa. In December of the same year, four cheetahs were set free into the wild, but two of them were later captured and moved to enclosures known as bomas. One of these two cheetahs, Agni, was tranquillized in the Baran district of Rajasthan and returned to KNP in December.

(With inputs from PTI)