"Purrs In The Wild": 3 Cubs Born To Namibian Cheetah In Kuno National Park

One of the cheetahs in Kuno National Park, named Aasha, has given birth to three cubs. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav shared a video and photo of the three cubs on X, formerly Twitter, and called it a roaring success for 'Project Cheetah'. The newly-born spotted felines can be seen resting and letting out little roars in the video. 

He shared the post on X with caption, "Purrs in the wild! Thrilled to share that Kuno National Park has welcomed three new members. The cubs have been born to Namibian Cheetah Aasha. This is a roaring success for Project Cheetah, envisioned by PM Shri @narendramodi ji to restore ecological balance. My big congrats to all experts involved in the project, the Kuno wildlife officials, and wildlife enthusiasts across India."

Before this, a cheetah named Siyaya had given birth to four cubs in March 2023. However, only one of them survived. 

Both Aasha and Siyaya are among cheetahs translocated to India from Namibia under PM Modi's 'Project Cheetah'. The project is aimed at re-introducing Cheetahs, the only large carnivore species that went extinct in independent India, to Indian wildlife. 

The first batch of eight cheetahs were introduced in India in September, 2022. However, one of those cheetahs, Sasha, had died due to kidney failure.

The second batch of 12 cheetahs were flown in from South Africa to India on February 18, 2023. In the most recent addition, two male cheetahs, Agni and Vayu, were released in Kuno National Park on December 17, 2023.