The two cubs which were given birth by Cheetah Veera at Kuno National Park (KNP), in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district. | Photo Credit: PTI

Cheetah, four cubs to be released into wild in M.P.'s Kuno National Park

After the release of Gamini and her four cubs, the number of cheetahs in the wild in KNP will rise to 17, while nine will stay in the enclosures

by · The Hindu

In a boost to India's cheetah conservation project, a female big cat and its four cubs will be released into the wild at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Monday (March 17, 2025) a development expected to draw tourists to the facility.

Sharing the information on X on Sunday night, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the increased number of cheetahs will offer tourists an opportunity to watch them in their natural habitat, which will attract more visitors to the KNP, located in Sheopur district.

"Female cheetah Gamini from South Africa will be released in the free-range tomorrow (Monday) along with her two male and two female cubs in Khajuri tourism zone of the Kuno National Park," Mr. Yadav said in the post.

The Madhya Pradesh government is determined to take wildlife conservation and tourism to new heights, he added.

After the release of Gamini and her four cubs, the number of cheetahs in the wild in KNP will rise to 17, while nine will stay in the enclosures.

According to officials, Gamini gave birth to six cubs in her first litter on March 10, 2024. Two of the cubs, however, died in subsequent months.

On February 21 this year, Cheetah Jwala and her four cubs were released into the wild in KNP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the cheetah translocation project with the historic release of eight cheetahs - five females and three males - brought from Namibia at the KNP on September 17, 2022.

This marked the first-ever intercontinental translocation of big cats. In February 2023, 12 additional cheetahs were translocated from South Africa to the KNP.

The total number of cheetahs in the KNP now stands at 26, including 14 cubs born on the Indian soil.

The ambitious project is part of India’s efforts to restore the cheetah population and enhance wildlife conservation and tourism in the region.

Published - March 17, 2025 08:57 am IST