Bhopal: Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh is set to witness a milestone on Monday as one of the cheetah cubs born in India reaches adulthood, marking a promising chapter in the country’s ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme.
“Mukhi, a female cub born to Namibian cheetah Jwala on March 29, 2023, will turn 915 days, or 30 months old, on Monday, making her the first cheetah born in India to reach adulthood,” Project Cheetah director Uttam Kumar Sharma said on Sunday. “Of the four cubs Jwala delivered, three died due to extreme heat, but Mukhi survived and has grown well. Today our efforts have yielded encouraging results.”
India reintroduced cheetahs to its wilds in September 2022 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight felines from Namibia into a special enclosure at KNP, marking the world’s first inter-continental relocation of a large carnivore. The effort was bolstered in February 2023 with the arrival of 12 more cheetahs from South Africa.
Since then, the cheetahs have adapted to Indian conditions and bred multiple times in Kuno. To date, 26 cubs have been born in the park, with a survival rate of over 61 per cent—significantly higher than the global average of 40 per cent, according to officials. Currently, India is home to 27 cheetahs, including 16 born in the country. Of these, 24 reside in Kuno, while three are in the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. However, the project has also faced setbacks, with 19 cheetah deaths recorded since its launch — nine imported adults and 10 cubs. Despite challenges, conservationists call the programme a major success. “India has gained seven cheetahs in three years compared to the initial number brought in,” Sharma said. Negotiations are underway to bring in more cheetahs from Africa, with a fresh batch of eight to ten expected from Botswana by December. Namibia, which provided the first group in 2022, is also among the countries being considered for future imports. With Mukhi’s survival into adulthood, officials say Project Cheetah has entered a new phase, offering renewed hope for the species’ long-term presence in India.with agency inputs