TNI Bureau: Mukhi, the first cheetah born in the wild on Indian soil after the species’ reintroduction, has created history again. On Thursday, the two-and-a-half-year-old cheetah gave birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park, marking the first second-generation birth under Project Cheetah.
Mukhi was born on 29 March 2023 to Jwala, one of the cheetahs brought from South Africa. She survived despite being rejected by her mother and losing her three siblings to extreme heat. The forest department hand-raised her, with Kuno field director Uttam Sharma calling the latest birth “especially emotional,” as the staff had nurtured Mukhi since infancy.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the development on X, calling it a “landmark achievement” for Project Cheetah. Officials said Mukhi delivered inside a soft enclosure (boma) where she had been kept during gestation to ensure safety for both her and the cubs.
Historic milestone: Indian-born cheetah Mukhi gives birth to 5 cubs 🐾 🐾
In a delightful breakthrough for India’s cheetah reintroduction initiative, Mukhi — the first Indian-born female cheetah, aged 33 months — has given birth to five cubs. This is the first time in recent… pic.twitter.com/aw4oGTLAfY
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) November 20, 2025
Mukhi reportedly became pregnant during one of her re-wilding attempts, and the father is believed to be a male cheetah born to Asha, one of the original Namibian arrivals.
With the birth of the five cubs, India’s cheetah population has risen to 32—29 in Kuno and three at Gandhi Sagar National Park. Since the launch of Project Cheetah in 2022, India has received 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa. Nine adults and 10 India-born cubs have died since.
Experts, however, continue to question the project’s direction. Wildlife biologist Ravi Chellam noted that all births so far have occurred inside enclosures, raising concerns about the animals’ ability to adapt to the wild. He added that the cheetahs remain genetically African, unlike the extinct Asiatic cheetahs that once lived in India.
Despite the debate, the government is set to bring a third batch of eight cheetahs from Botswana by December, continuing efforts to rebuild a stable population seven decades after cheetahs were declared extinct in India.