India-born cheetah gives birth to four cubs at Kuno
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
An Indian-born female cheetah gives birth to four cubs in Kuno National Park, in Sheopur on Friday, September 18, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI
An India-born cheetah has given birth to four cubs in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP), months after her previous four cubs were killed in a leopard attack. The latest litter has taken the total population to 56.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav announced the latest litter, which comes a day after India’s Project Cheetah, the reintroduction programme for the big cat species, turned four.
“A truly historic and joyous moment for Project Cheetah! A day after India’s Cheetah Project completed four years, KGP12, an Indian-born female cheetah, has given birth to four cubs in Kuno,” Mr. Bhupender Yadav said on X.
“Four years, four new lives—a beautiful symbol of hope, resilience and the growing success of cheetah conservation in India. Heartiest congratulations to the entire Kuno and Project Cheetah family,” he added.
Earlier in April, four cubs of KGP12 were killed in a leopard attack just a month after they were born in the open forest. KGP12 is the daughter of South African cheetah Gemini.
Of the total 56 cheetahs in the country, 36 are now India-born while 20 are from African nations, including nine that were translocated in February this year. At present, 53 cheetahs reside in Kuno National Park, while three adults are in the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur and Neemuch districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Earlier in February, nine cheetahs, six females and three males, were translocated from Botswana, making it the third intercontinental transfer of big cats to India from an African nation since the reintroduction programme began. This followed transfers from Namibia and South Africa in September 2022 and February 2023, respectively.
Preparations are also underway to ready Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve in Sagar district as the third home for the cheetahs.
Speaking to The Hindu, Kuno Field Director and Project Cheetah Director Uttam Kumar Sharma said that the four cubs appeared to be healthy and that a team was keeping an eye on them without disturbing the mother and the litter.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also termed the latest births a milestone in the country’s cheetah conservation programme.
“Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, the arrival of these little guests marks a beautiful milestone in India’s ongoing cheetah conservation journey. With Kuno’s growing cheetah population strengthening wildlife tourism, local livelihoods and ecosystem conservation, heartfelt congratulations to the entire Kuno and Project Cheetah family!” Mr. Mohan Yadav wrote on X.
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
