Namibian cheetah gives birth to four cubs in Kuno, three days after Sasha's death
This is the first time that India has witnessed any cheetah cubs in 79 years (photo- DailyO)
Siaya, one of the Namibian cheetahs that were transported to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, is now a mother. She gave birth to four cubs making this the first time cheetah cubs are born in India after 79 years.
Wonderful news. https://t.co/oPvVBNlhqC
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 29, 2023
The news was shared on Twitter by Union Environment and Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav, who called the birth "a momentous event in our wildlife conservation history". The birth of these cubs comes three days after another Namibian cheetah Sasha died to a kidney ailment.
Sasha's death was definitely a blow to Project Cheetah; a government program that aims to revive cheetah populations in India, seven decades after the wild cats went extinct in the country. However, with the four newborn cubs, there seems to be hope for Project Cheetah.
I congratulate the entire team of Project Cheetah for their relentless efforts in bringing back cheetahs to India and for their efforts in correcting an ecological wrong done in the past.
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) March 29, 2023
Eight cheetahs were flown in to India in September, 2023. Following Sasha's death, seven adult cheetahs remain in India. When the cubs grow up, the population will increase to eleven.