Newly born Cheetah cubs.
Credit: X/@byadavbjp
Bhopal: Amid speculation of non-conducive climate and insufficient preys at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, a cheetah named Aasha gave birth to three cubs.
The health of newborns was reported to be normal and stable. The cubs were born on December 26. However, the information was shared with the media only after the cubs opened their eyes.
Their father is Pawan. There is also a possibility of more newborn cubs present in the enclosure.
Union minister Bhupendra Yadav while expressing happiness on his X account wrote, "Purr in the wild! Thrilled to share that KNP has welcomed three new members. The cubs have been born to Namibian cheetah, Aasha. This is a roaring success for the project cheetah, envisioned by PM Modi to restore ecological balance. My big congratulations to all the experts involved in the project, the Kuno wildlife officials and wildlife enthusiasts across India".
Earlier in March 2023, a female cheetah named Jwala had given birth to four cubs, but only one of them survived.
With this, the total count of cheetahs at KNP has increased to 18(14 adults and 4 cubs). At present only two cheetahs are in the wild, while remaining are inside a big enclosure.
DFO Thirukural R said, "We have plans to release one or two more cheetahs in the jungle soon. Earlier, of the three cheetahs released in the wild, one (Agni) was brought back on December 25 after it crossed KNP territory and reached Rajasthan. Now, once again Agni along with Vayu will be released into the jungle within a week or two."
There is sufficient prey base in the jungle and cheetahs are making the killing themselves.