By Karmrath News Desk
A 25-month-old female cheetah born in Kuno National Park has given birth to four cubs in the wild. India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has confirmed this. The ministry said this is the first time that a cheetah born in India after the launch of Project Cheetah has given birth in the wild.
The mother of this cheetah is Gamini, who was brought to India from South Africa in 2023. But the daughter achieved what the mother could not. She gave birth entirely in the open forest, without any assistance or enclosed space.
This is significant because the real success of any reintroduction project is considered achieved only when animals not only survive, but also successfully raise offspring that can continue to live and reproduce on their own.
How it Began
On Sept. 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs brought from Namibia into Kuno. This was the first time in the world that a large predatory animal was translocated from one continent to another.
Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952. After that, 12 more cheetahs were brought from South Africa in February 2023, taking the total number to 20. Gamini was among them.
The beginning was not easy. Between May and August 2023, several cheetahs and cubs died due to illnesses and other reasons. After this, all the cheetahs were kept in enclosures for examination. This also drew criticism. Experts raised questions about preparedness. Officials said some losses are normal in such projects.
What Happened Afterwards
The situation has now changed. In February 2026, nine more cheetahs were brought from Botswana. In March 2026, a cheetah named Jwala gave birth to five cubs. This was her third successful birth in India. With this, the total cheetah population in India reached 53. The number increased further later.
Gamini has also been among the cheetahs with the highest number of cubs. In March 2024, she gave birth to five cubs in a single litter.
Now one of her daughters, born and raised in Kuno itself, has given birth to four cubs at the age of 25 months. She had been living in the open forest for more than a year.
In November 2025, another India-born female, Mukhi, had also given birth to five cubs. This was the first case of a second-generation birth.
The new cubs are no longer being given names. They are being identified through codes such as KP-1 and KP-2 to maintain proper records.
Rising Pressure on Kuno
As the population grows, pressure on Kuno is also increasing. From the beginning, the plan was not to keep all cheetahs at a single location.
If all the animals remain in one place, disease or any disaster could affect the entire population.
In April 2026, four cheetahs were brought directly from South Africa to Bengaluru. This was the first time cheetahs were kept outside Madhya Pradesh. They are being monitored for 30 days and will later be released into Bannerghatta National Park.
In Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is also being prepared as a second site.
The Real Meaning of this Birth
This event is important because, until now, all cubs born in India had parents that were born in Africa.
But this female was entirely born and raised in India. She learned to hunt here and gave birth without any assistance.
Giving birth at the age of 25 months also indicates that her health is good and prey availability in the forest is sufficient.
The ministry has described this as a major success for the project. Forest officials, doctors and trackers played an important role in this effort.
The Road Ahead
Project Cheetah is still new and, according to scientists, such projects take at least 10 years before they can be considered successful. Several questions still remain, including whether this population can survive in the long term, whether enough space and prey will be available, and whether new sites will be developed properly. But compared to 2023, the situation is now better, because at that time the news was largely about deaths. Now cheetahs are present at multiple locations in India, their numbers are increasing, and for the first time a second-generation female has independently given birth in the wild. That was the objective of the project, and although full success has not yet been achieved, this is a clear sign that the project is moving in the right direction.