Kuno cheetah family gets 4 new members, rekindle hope to up their count

One of the cheetahs brought to India as part of Project Cheetah from Namibia gave birth to four healthy cubs on Wednesday. The development comes a day after a female Cheetah Sasha died of kidney ailment at Kuno on March 27.

Three-year-old-old Siyaya, a captive-bred cheetah, who delivered four cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, was pregnant after mating in late December. The gestation period for cheetahs is 90 to 93 days.

Meanwhile, Asha is expected to deliver between April 15-30.

Another cheetah, Sasha, had also mated in December but died on Monday after suffering from kidney failure since January. Wildlife biologists say kidney failure is known to occur in cheetahs that have been in captivity for long.

A day after a Namibian cheetah died, the Supreme Court on Tuesday sought details of experts in the Cheetah Task Force such as their qualification and experience.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Vikram Nath asked the Centre to furnish details of the experts in the task force who specialise in cheetah management, their experience and qualification within two weeks.

The top court's direction came while hearing an application filed by the Centre seeking direction from the court that it is no longer necessary and mandatory for the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to continue taking the guidance and advice of the expert committee appointed by this court through an order dated January 28, 2020.

Cheetah reintroduction in India

Eight cheetahs were reintroduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Madhya Pradesh's Kuna National Park on September 17 - his birthday - as part of Project Cheetah. The US-based Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) that manages some cheetah populations in Namibia and had facilitated the transfer of the eight into India said the three captive-reared animals had been sent because they were "the best candidates" from a genetic perspective as "founder stock".

PM expresses delight on the birth of four cheetah cubs to one of the translocated cheetahs

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has expressed delight on the birth of four cheetah cubs to one of cheetahs translocated to India on 17th September 2022.

Sharing a tweet by Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, the Prime Minister tweeted,"Wonderful news."