India-born cheetah Mukhi has given birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Thursday, calling it a “historic milestone in Project Cheetah”.
“A historic milestone has been achieved as Indian-born cheetah Mukhi has given birth to five cubs in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. The mother and cubs are doing well,” Yadav said in a post on X.
This is an “unprecedented” breakthrough for India's cheetah reintroduction initiative, he said.
Mukhi, the first Indian-born female cheetah at 33 months of age, has now become the first India-born cheetah to reproduce, making it a landmark achievement for Project Cheetah, he said.
“The successful reproduction of an India-born cheetah is a strong indicator of the species' adaptation, health, and long-term prospects in Indian habitats,” Yadav said.
“This significant step forward strengthens optimism about establishing a self-sustaining and genetically diverse cheetah population in India, further advancing the nation's conservation goals,” he added.
Cheetahs were reintroduced in India on September 17, 2022, several decades after they went extinct in the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had then released eight cheetahs, five females and three males, brought from Namibia, into Kuno National Park, marking the first-ever intercontinental translocation of big cats.
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