Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh), Sep 18 — In a major boost to Project Cheetah, India-born female cheetah "KGP12" has given birth to four cubs at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, a day after the reintroduction programme completed four years.
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the development, describing it as "a truly historic and joyous moment for Project Cheetah".
In a post on social media platform X, Union Minister Yadav said: "Four years, four new lives — a beautiful symbol of hope, resilience and the growing success of cheetah conservation in India."
He congratulated the entire Kuno and Project Cheetah team.
With the latest births, India's cheetah population has risen from 52 to 56.
Kuno National Park now hosts 53 cheetahs, while three remain at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
The number of cheetahs born in India has increased to 36.
KGP12, born in India in 2024, is the daughter of Gamini, a female cheetah brought from South Africa in February 2023. Her successful delivery marks another significant step in the programme's progress, as second-generation cubs demonstrate that the reintroduced animals are adapting and breeding under Indian conditions.
Forest staff at the Kuno National Park spotted the cubs and are monitoring them from a distance.
Project Cheetah was launched on September 17, 2022, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first eight cheetahs from Namibia at Kuno.
Subsequent batches arrived from South Africa in 2023 and Botswana in 2026.
Over four years, the project has moved from initial challenges of adaptation and survival to a phase of consolidation, with breeding females and the survival of Indian-born generations.
Officials associated with the project and wildlife conservationists have welcomed the news as a positive indicator of natural population growth.
The birth of four cubs to an India-born mother strengthens hopes for a self-sustaining cheetah population in the country, where the species was declared extinct in 1952.
The Kuno team continues intensive monitoring and habitat management to ensure the well-being of the new cubs and the expanding population.