African cheetah 'Gamini' has given birth to six cubs at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district.
Credit: X/@byadavbjp
Gamini, the female cheetah from South Africa being translocated into KNP (Kuno National Park) in Sheopur gave birth to 6 litters (cubs), and not 5 as reported earlier on March 10, 2024. With it, the headcount has increased to 27 cheetahs (14 cubs and 13 adults) in KNP.
Though the sixth cub mysteriously hoodwinked the hawkish eye of veterinary doctors’ team, he/she survived owing to the security cover provided by the mother Cheetah Gamini. According to wildlife experts, the first-time pregnant female cheetah can give birth to 4 to 6 cheetahs, which is a record of sorts. Gamini has set a record for herself to be the wild cat in KNP that delivered six cubs.
Union minister Bhupendra Yadav took to his social media handle on Monday where he said there is no end to joy: It is not five, but six cubs!
"A week after the news of five cubs born to Gamini, it is now confirmed that Gamini, the South African cheetah mother, has given birth to six cubs, a record of sorts for the first-time mother. Sharing the joy with visuals of Gamin;s adorable six cubs," the minister wrote in the post.
Sources on the condition of anonymity disclosed that now the challenge for field officials will be on the survival and safe upbringing of cubs. PCCF and HoFF Aseem Shrivastava while expressing happiness also added, "We are now better equipped to deal with the situation including peak summer season."
He recalled, "Earlier, few newborn cubs died due to dehydration so from that experience, adequate measures including shades/water availability etc are in place. Efforts will be made to maintain closeness with the mother as much as possible till the cubs reach a certain age. We have developed a better tracking system to ensure 24x7 monitoring and their movements," said Shrivastava.