An Indian-born cheetah gave birth to five healthy cubs at Kuno National Park on October 5, taking India’s cheetah population to 60, according to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said 41 of the country’s cheetahs were now Indian-born.

The mother, KJP21, is 32 months old. She is the third Indian-born female to produce cubs, following Mukhi and KGP12. The cubs’ father is a male from Botswana, introducing a Botswana lineage into India’s cheetah population, the minister said.

India’s gains amid global conservation pressures

The births come as cheetahs face continuing threats across their global range. The IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group lists the cheetah as Vulnerable and reports that 14 of the 18 populations for which trends could be assessed were declining.

Habitat fragmentation, loss of prey and illegal capture are among the pressures affecting the species. The Asiatic cheetah, which survives in Iran, is separately classified as Critically Endangered.

What Project Cheetah aims to achieve

Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952. Project Cheetah began bringing African cheetahs to India in September 2022, when the first eight arrived from Namibia.

The government’s cheetah reintroduction action plan aims to establish viable breeding populations and restore grasslands, savannas and open forests. These habitats also support other wildlife.

KJP21’s litter adds another generation born in India to the programme. Its longer-term goal is a viable population supported by suitable habitat, sufficient prey and local community participation.

Source: PIB’s announcement.