First India-born cheetahs with Botswana lineage: Kuno welcomes 5 cubs, India's total count now 60

BHOPAL: Project Cheetah crossed another milestone on Sunday with the birth of five cubs at MP's Kuno National Park, taking India's total cheetah count to 60, including 41 born in the country.The cubs were born to 32-month-old cheetah KJ, making her the third India-born female to give birth in the country after Mukhi and KGP12, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav announced in a social media post, describing it as "an important milestone in the emergence of the next generation of India's cheetah population".The development is an important marker in the progress of Project Cheetah, which aims not only to establish a viable population of the feline in India 70 years after it was declared extinct, but also to enable the species to breed and sustain itself over successive generations, say officials.The birth has an added genetic significance. The father of the five cubs is a male brought from Botswana, making them the first India-born cheetahs to carry the Botswanan lineage. This adds a new genetic lineage to the growing cheetah population in the country.The latest births also reveal a shift in Project Cheetah from the initial phase of relocation from Africa to India to establishing a self-sustaining population through breeding on Indian soil, say officials.Both Yadav and MP chief minister Mohan Yadav congratulated the veterinarians, forest officials, field staff, park management and others associated with Project Cheetah.KJ and her litter will be closely monitored in the coming days, officials said, adding that the initial period is considered critical for newborn cheetahs because cub mortality can be high in the wild.Another generation born on Indian soil adds another chapter to the country's cheetah reintroduction programme, which began with the arrival of the first batch of cheetahs from Namibia in Sept 2022 and subsequently from South Africa.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bhopal | Silver Rate in Bhopal | Bank Holidays in Bhopal | Public Holidays in Bhopal | Petrol Price in Bhopal | Diesel Price in Bhopal | CNG Price in Bhopal | LPG Price in BhopalStay updated with the latest Bhopal news. Download the TOI App.