BHOPAL: Marking a significant chapter in the ongoing journey to reintroduce, stabilise and multiply the cheetah population under the country’s ambitious Project Cheetah, the birth of five cubs at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP) on Monday has heralded the beginning of the Botswanan lineage in India.
The 32-month-old Indian-born female cheetah KJP21 — the daughter of Namibian cheetahs Pawan, also known as Oban, and Siyaya, also known as Jwala — gave birth to five healthy cubs in a secure enclosure, where she had been shifted a few days earlier after the tracking team detected her pregnancy in the free-ranging forests.
KJP21 became the third Indian-born female to give birth to cubs at Kuno National Park, after Mukhi, also Jwala’s daughter and the first Indian-born female to successfully raise cubs, and KGP12, which has delivered two litters so far. The birth of the five cubs on Monday also marked the beginning of the Botswanan lineage in India, as their father is a Botswanan male cheetah, adding a new genetic lineage to the country’s growing cheetah population.
Importantly, after the arrival of eight Namibian cheetahs in September 2022 and 12 South African cheetahs in February 2023, the third batch of African cheetahs to be translocated to KNP comprised nine cheetahs — six females and three males — from Botswana. They were brought to KNP in February 2025.
The birth of the five cubs has taken India’s cheetah population to 60, including 56 at KNP in northern Madhya Pradesh and four South African and Botswanan adult cheetahs at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in western Madhya Pradesh.
The birth of the five cubs comes ahead of the planned relocation of cheetahs from KNP to Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, the state’s largest tiger reserve, which is likely to become the first tiger reserve in the country to house cheetahs in the coming days.
Sharing visuals of the five newborn cubs at KNP on Monday, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav posted on X: “Another historic and joyous milestone for Project Cheetah! KJP21, a 32-month-old Indian-born female cheetah, has given birth to five healthy cubs in Kuno National Park today. KJP21 is the third Indian-born female cheetah to give birth, after Mukhi and KGP12 — an important milestone in the emergence of the next generation of India’s cheetah population. With the arrival of these five cubs, the cheetah population in India has reached 60, including 41 Indian-born cheetahs. Importantly, these cubs also mark the beginning of the Botswanan lineage in India, as their father is a Botswanan male cheetah — adding a new genetic lineage to India’s growing cheetah population.”
“Another generation born on Indian soil, adding yet another beautiful chapter to the remarkable story of cheetah reintroduction in India. Heartfelt congratulations to the veterinarians, field staff, managers and everyone associated with Project Cheetah, whose dedication, commitment and tireless efforts have made these moments possible. Welcome to the world, little ones,” Yadav added.
Posting visuals on the same microblogging platform, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav wrote: “Another proud moment for Project Cheetah… Indian-born female cheetah KJP21 has given birth to five healthy cubs at Kuno National Park, taking India’s cheetah population to 60, including 41 Indian-born cheetahs. Heartiest congratulations to the entire Project Cheetah and Kuno team. Another significant milestone in India’s journey towards restoring its cheetah population and strengthening wildlife conservation.”
