‘Super Mom’ cheetah, Jwala, becomes mother for 3rd time in Kuno

Bhopal: Namibian female cheetah Jwala on Monday became a mother for the third time by giving birth to five cubs at the Kuno National Park of Madhya Pradesh, earning the big cat the tag of ‘Super Mom of Kuno’.

With this, Jwala’s surviving progeny in the national park have now increased to nine, which is one fourth of the total population of 33 cheetah cubs in the wildlife sanctuary.

Interestingly, female cheetah Mukhi, the lone survivor among the four siblings born to Jwala in her maiden motherhood, has earlier earned the distinction of being the first India-born cheetah mother when she produced five cubs on November 20,2025 in Kuno.

Jwala had given birth to four cubs on March 29,2023, in her first litter. Only one of them, Mukhi, could survive.

Jwala became a mother for the second time on January 23, 2024 by delivering four cubs, of which three survived.

The Namibian cheetah became a mother for the third time on Monday by giving birth to five cubs.

“Jwala is the most successful mother in Kuno. A three-time mother, she has produced nine thriving Indian-born cubs”, field director of Kuno National Park, Uttam Kumar Sharma told this newspaper.

Union minister for environment, forest and climate change Bhupendra Yadav, in a post on X, said, “May Jwala and her cubs grow strong and race ahead, carrying India’s cheetah story to even greater heights”.

According to Mr. Sharma, all the six adult females in Kuno have now successfully reproduced.

Together, they have produced 45 India-born cubs, of which 33 are thriving, Mr. Sharma said.

Jwala is the only female cheetah in Kuno to have become a mother for the third time so far.

Hailing Jwala’s record third motherhood, Union minister Mr. Yadav observed, “A moment of great pride for Project Cheetah as Jwala, the Namibian cheetah and a successful third-time mother, gave birth to five cubs today at the Kuno National Park”.

With this, the number of India-born thriving cheetahs have risen to 33, marking the tenth successful cheetah litter on Indian soil- another important milestone in India's cheetah conservation journey, he said.

With the arrival of these cubs, the total cheetah population in India has now reached 53.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav also hailed the development, calling it a ‘proud moment for wildlife conservation and a strong testament to the success of India’s cheetah reintroduction efforts.’