Biodiversity boost as Indian-born Cheetah delivers five cubs at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno

BHOPAL: A female cheetah, Mukhi, born in India, has given birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced on Thursday, calling it a “landmark achievement” for Project Cheetah.

- SATYAPRAKASH SHARMA

The project was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday, 17 September 2022, at Kuno, marking the reintroduction of the species into India after its extinction in 1952.

Mukhi, now two-and-a-half years old, has become the first India-born cheetah to successfully reproduce, according to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Posting the update on X, CM Yadav said both the mother and her newborn cubs are healthy, describing the birth as a “strong indicator of the species’ adaptation, health, and long-term prospects in Indian habitats”.