Kuno National Park cheetah population rises to 56 after four new cubs are born

Project Cheetah Kuno National Park cheetah conservation wildlife reintroduction animal breeding

India’s Project Cheetah has reached a significant milestone with the birth of four new cubs at Kuno National Park. The cubs were born to KGP12, a female cheetah who was herself born in India, marking a successful second-generation breeding event for the reintroduction programme.

With these latest births, the total cheetah population in India has risen to 56. Of these, 36 were born in India. The population is distributed between Kuno National Park, which hosts 53 cheetahs, and the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, which has three.

The announcement comes one day after the project completed four years since its launch in September 2022. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav described the event as “a truly historic and joyous moment,” noting it as a symbol of the growing success of cheetah conservation in the country. The project, which began with the introduction of cheetahs from Namibia, later included animals from South Africa and Botswana, and is now transitioning from an initial adaptation phase into a phase of population consolidation.