Nirva, a female cheetah relocated from South Africa in 2022, has given birth to cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, wildlife officials confirmed on Monday.
Nirva had been showing signs of pregnancy over the past few weeks and had recently shifted to a den site, indicating that the cubs were soon to arrive. While the exact number of cubs has not been disclosed, wildlife officials assured that they will be under the protective care of their mother at the den site.
“We are maintaining a safe distance to avoid stressing the mother. She will take care of the cubs, and there will be no need for human intervention,” said a wildlife officer.
For the past year, the 24 cheetahs at Kuno—12 adults and 12 cubs—have been housed in enclosures. This came after the deaths of three adults due to septicaemia caused by maggot infestations in their wounds. While the Kuno Cheetah introduction project aims to develop free-ranging wild cheetahs, most of the cheetahs remain in enclosures, awaiting approval from the NTCA for their release into the wild.
“The cheetahs will be released back into the wild in a phased manner starting at the end of October,” officials had said earlier, though that process is yet to take place.
Since the project began, 12 cheetah cubs have been born in India. However, the project has faced setbacks, with eight adult cheetahs and five cubs dying over the same period.
