WATCH: India’s first home-born cheetah mom! Mukhi gives birth to 5 cubs at Kuno National Park in MP

In a significant achievement in a cross-continent cheetah restoration project, Indian-born cheetah ‘Mukhi’ gave birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. Marking the greatest milestone, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced it on social media, indicating that both the mother and her cubs are healthy and doing well.

"A historic milestone has been achieved as Indian-born cheetah Mukhi has given birth to five cubs in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. The mother and cubs are doing well. This is an unprecedented breakthrough for India’s cheetah reintroduction initiative. Mukhi, the first Indian-born female cheetah at 33 months of age, has now become the first India-born cheetah to reproduce, making it a landmark achievement for Project Cheetah," he added.

"The successful reproduction of an India-born cheetah is a strong indicator of the species’ adaptation, health, and long-term prospects in Indian habitats. This significant step forward strengthens optimism about establishing a self-sustaining and genetically diverse cheetah population in India, further advancing the nation’s conservation goals," CM Mohan Yadav also said.

Born at Kuno National Park, the 33-month-old ‘Mukhi’ is the first Indian-born female cheetah to reproduce, setting a new precedent for Project Cheetah. The significant achievements indicate that cheetahs born in India are adapting well and also highlight the long-term sustainability of cheetah populations in Indian habitats, based on the India Today report.

Mukhi's successful reproduction shows the strong health and adaptation of the species and reinforces confidence in the efforts to build a genetically diverse, self-sustaining cheetah population in India.

What is Project Cheetah?

Launched in September 2022, Project Cheetah seeks to bring back the cheetahs, extinct in India for decades, through relocation from Namibia and South Africa. While the project has faced setbacks, including the deaths of nine adult imports and ten cubs, Kuno’s cub survival rate stands at over 61 per cent, significantly higher than the global average of 40 per cent. This highlights effective project management and the suitability of Kuno National Park’s habitat.

Mukhi’s five new cubs add momentum to the initiative, supporting long-term population expansion. Plans are also underway to bring in more cheetahs from countries such as Botswana and Namibia to further strengthen genetic diversity.