International Mother’s Day: “Kuno’s Moms” Keep Hope For India’s Cheetah Project Alive, Carry Wild Cat Population To 3rd Generation

The seven ‘moms of Kuno’, comprising five Africa-born and two India-born cheetahs, have produced 49 cubs, of which 37 are thriving.

The five female cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa have successfully reproduced-one thrice, three twice and one once, while the two India-born female cheetahs have reproduced once each.

The reproductions have helped the growth of the cheetah population in the KNP to the third generation.

The remarkable conservation story at Kuno has been narrated in a documentary released by the Kuno authorities on the occasion of the International Mother’s Day on Sunday.

“This extraordinary story of cheetah mothers at Kuno stands as a powerful testament to the success of the (cheetah) project”, field director of the KNP Uttam Kumar Sharma told this newspaper.

The most successful mother among them is eight-year-old Namibian cheetah, Jwala, also called ‘Super Mom of Kuno’.

Jwala boasts of having the largest number of nine thriving cubs, almost 25 percent of the cheetah cub population in Kuno, given birth in three litters.

Jwala was the only female cheetah at Kuno to become a mother for the third time on March nine this year by giving birth to five cubs.

Two-time mother Aasha, a Namibian female cheetah, has a total of eight surviving cubs at Kuno.

Eight-year-old Aasha was first released in Kuno by prime minister Narendra Modi on September 17, 2022 marking the launch of the cheetah introduction project in India.

South African female cheetah Gamini, aged six years and five months, has a total of seven thriving cubs at Kuno so far in her two litters.

Another South African female cheetah Veera, which is 6.5 years old now, has given birth to two cubs which are thriving.

South Africa-born Nirva has three thriving cubs in two litters.

Female cheetah Mukhi, born on Indian soil from Jwala, gave birth to five cubs in November last year and all of them are thriving.

Another female cheetah named KGP 12, born on Indian soil from Gamini, gave birth to four cubs in her first litter on April 11 this year and all are thriving.

Eight cheetahs were translocated to Kuno from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 more cheetahs were brought to Kuno from South Africa six months later, under the project.

Nine cheetahs from Botswana were brought to Kuno one and half months ago.

The population of cheetahs in India now stands at 57, including 37 cubs.

While Kuno has a population of 54 cheetahs, three cheetahs were shifted to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh from Kuno a year ago.