A Namibian cheetah Siyaya has delivered four cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district, officials said on Wednesday, March 29. The officials involved in the conservation project stated that all four cubs were healthy and doing fine. A team of experts are keeping a close watch on the mother and cubs' health conditions.
Expressing his happiness, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that for the first time, the state has welcomed four cubs at Kuno National Park. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given a big gift for Madhya Pradesh on his birthday (September 17, 2022). It is good news for all of us," Chouhan added. Indian Express reported that these are the first cheetah cubs born in India in over 70 years since cheetahs went extinct in the country.
Incidentally, the news comes just after a female Namibian cheetah Sasha died of a renal infection on Monday. Since then, questions have been raised about her health history. On September 17, 2022, eight Namibian cheetahs were brought to India and released by PM Modi at Kuno National Park, as part of cheetah reintroduction efforts in India. In a second batch, as many as 12 cheetahs were brought from South Africa on February 18 and thus, a total of 20 cheetahs have been released at Kuno.
Congratulations
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) March 29, 2023
A momentous event in our wildlife conservation history during Amrit Kaal!
I am delighted to share that four cubs have been born to one of the cheetahs translocated to India on 17th September 2022, under the visionary leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi ji. pic.twitter.com/a1YXqi7kTt
Of the lot, Sasha died on Monday, while the remaining 19 are doing fine, said Rajesh Chouhan, chief forest officer in Madhya Pradesh. He also ruled out speculation that two more cheetahs were unhealthy.