In a development that offers a ray of hope for the success of Project Cheetah, Namibian cheetah Aasha has given birth to three cubs inside the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh.

Sharing the information about the birth of the cheetah cubs on X, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav congratulated KNP officials, veterinarians and experts and said the Project Cheetah envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is moving towards success.

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With the three new additions, the number of Cheetahs in the KNP rose to 18.

Under the Cheetah Reintroduction Project, PM Narendra Modi had released five female and three male cheetahs brought from Namibia in the KNP on his birthday on 17 September 2022.

In February 2023, 12 more cheetahs were brought from South Africa, taking the total number of the felines to 20. However, on 27 March 2023, a female Cheetah, Saasha, died of a kidney ailment, which was the first death amongst the translocated Cheetahs. This was followed by the death of a male cheetah, Uday, of South Africa in April 2023 due to cardiac issues.

A female Cheetah, Daksha, also from South Africa, was killed in a fight with two males in May 2023.

Prior to this, Namibian cheetah Jwala had given birth to four cubs in March 2023. However, three of them died in May.

Six adult cheetahs died since March 2023 due to various reasons taking the total number of deaths to nine.

In December 2023, two male cheetahs, Agni and Vayu, were released in the tourist zone of the KNP. They were released in the Parond forest range on December 17.

Meanwhile, 13 cheetahs, including the last surviving cub of Jwala, remained in enclosures under surveillance by a team of veterinarians.