Last Updated:February 07, 2026, 13:57 IST

Calling it a ‘moment of immense pride and joy,’ Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said Aasha gave birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park.

AI-generated image used for representation

Cheetah Aasha has given birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park, marking another milestone in India’s Project Cheetah programme. With the new additions, the country’s cheetah population has risen to 35.

Taking to X, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav called it a moment of “immense pride and joy”.

“A moment of immense pride and joy for Project Cheetah as Aasha, the Namibian cheetah and a proud second-time mother, gave birth to five cubs on 7th February 2026 at Kuno National Park. With this, the tally of Indian-born surviving cubs rises to 24, marking the eighth successful cheetah litter on Indian soil—a significant milestone in India’s cheetah conservation journey, undertaken and nurtured under the environmentally-conscious leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi,” he wrote on X.

“This joyous achievement stands as a shining testimony to the unwavering dedication, skill, and commitment of the field staff and veterinarians working tirelessly on the ground. May Aasha and her cubs thrive, flourish, and sprint India’s cheetah story to even greater success,” he added.

Cheetahs once roamed freely across India, but relentless and unregulated hunting wiped them out, and the species was officially declared extinct in the country in 1952. In 2022, India launched the first phase of Project Cheetah to bring them back to their former habitat.

Under this effort, cheetahs were carefully relocated from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park. The project is being carried out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

Read More