Union Environment, Forest & Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav expressed his joy once again as he shared on his X account that Namibian Cheetah Jwala had actually given birth to four cubs, not three.
"Wildlife wonders! As frontline wildlife warriors managed to get closer to Jwala, they found she has given birth to four, not three, cubs. This has increased our joy several times over. Congratulations all.We pray the cubs thrive and prosper at their home in India," Yadav posted on X.
According to the officials, this is Jwala's second litter since March last year. The Namibian big cat gave birth to four cubs 10 months ago. However, only one of them survived, PTI reported.
Earlier this month, on January 3, another Namibian cheetah named Aasha gave birth to three cubs. With the latest announcement, the current number of Kuno's newborn cubs has increased to eight.
It has been a mixed month for 'Project Cheetah' as apart from the birth of these cubs, it also witnessed the death of a Namibian cheetah called Shaurya on January 16, PTI reported.
Seven cheetahs, including four males and three females, have died at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, due to various reasons. The first six fatalities occurred between March and August, followed by Shaurya's death last week.
While announcing the birth of three cubs birthed by Jwala yesterday, the minister congratulated the wildlife frontline warriors and wildlife lovers across India.
'Project Cheetah' was started by PM Modi in September 2022 with the vision of reviving India's ecosystem and re-introducing the extinct cheetah into India's wildlife. Under the project, 20 cheetahs were flown into Kuno National Park in two batches from Namibia and South Africa.