India’s First Native-Born Cheetah ‘Mukhi’ Gives Birth to Five Cubs

• India’s cheetah reintroduction programme has achieved a major success. Mukhi, the first female cheetah born in India, has given birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park (Madhya Pradesh). This is the first documented case of an India-born cheetah delivering cubs since the species went extinct in the country in 1952.

First India-Born Cheetah Gives Birth

• Mukhi, nearly 3 years old, is the offspring of a female cheetah brought from Namibia in the first batch in 2022.
• Her successful breeding confirms the presence of a second generation of cheetahs in India.
• Mukhi and all her cubs are healthy, and a specialized team is continuously monitoring them.

Major Boost to Project Cheetah

• The primary objective of the project is to establish a naturally breeding and genetically strong cheetah population.
• Mukhi’s litter shows that the relocated cheetahs have successfully adapted to Indian conditions and are producing healthy offspring.

Habitat Suitability Proven in Kuno

• Successful second-generation breeding proves that Kuno’s habitat is suitable for cheetahs—
  • movement,
  • hunting,
  • denning,
  • and climate adaptation.
• It also addresses early concerns related to prey base, climate, and disease risks.

Significance

• This achievement strengthens India’s long-term wildlife conservation strategy.
• It will help future decisions on expanding cheetah habitats, improving monitoring methods, and extending the project to other landscapes.

The birth of Mukhi’s cubs marks a historic achievement in India’s wildlife conservation journey and a major step toward establishing a stable cheetah population in the country.