Namibian Cheetah Jwala give birth to five cubs

Here’s good news from the Kuno National Park (KNP) in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh. Namibian Cheetah Jwala gave birth to five cubs on Monday.

With this, the number of Cheetahs at KNP has reached 50, and the total number of Cheetahs in India has gone up to 53, with three Cheetahs being at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Ujjain division of MP.

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Jwala, originally named Siaya in Namibia, has become a mother for the third time since she was brought to India, and released at the KNP by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 72nd birthday on 17 September 2022.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav expressed happiness at the birth of the five cubs. He congratulated the KNP staff and officials.

The CM described the event as another milestone in the success of Project Cheetah, implemented to revive the Cheetah population in India, after the last Cheetah in India was shot dead in 1947, and consequently the feline was declared extinct in the country in 1952.

According to officials, Jwala’s first litter, in March 2023, produced four cubs, of which only one, Mukhi, survived. Her second litter, born in January 2024, consisted of three cubs. Now, on March 9, 2026, Jwala has delivered five cubs, marking her third successful litter at the park.

Forest department officials confirmed that Jwala and all five newborn cubs are in good health. A team of experts is keeping a close watch on Jwala and her cubs’ safety and well-being through CCTV monitoring and field surveillance.

With this birth, the number of Indian-born thriving cubs has risen to 33, marking the 10th successful cheetah litter on Indian soil.