Mar 29, 2023, 2:50 PM IST
In a recent development, one of the Namibian cheetahs, that were released into their enclosures at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on September 17 at an event attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given birth to four cubs.
The information was confirmed by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, who also shared the pictures of the cubs on Twitter. The comes three days after one of the cheetahs, Sasha, died due to a kidney ailment.
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In a tweet, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said, "I am delighted to share that four cubs have been born to one of the cheetahs translocated to India on 17th September 2022, under the visionary leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi ji."
The minister also congratulated the entire team of Project Cheetah for their relentless efforts in bringing back the large carnivore to India and for their efforts in correcting an ecological wrong done in the past.
WATCH: Four cubs have been born to one of the translocated to India from Namibia; Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav terms it a momentous event in India's wildlife conservation history during 'Amrit Kaal'. pic.twitter.com/cnavXMrcIl
— Asianet Newsable (@AsianetNewsEN)Sasha was translocated to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) from the African country along with seven other big cats.
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The death of Sasha came as a setback to Project Cheetah, aimed at reviving the population of the world's fastest land animal in India, seven decades after they became extinct.
Twelve cheetahs brought to the KNP from South Africa last month are at present housed in a quarantine enclosure and they are healthy and active, an official told PTI.
The eight Namibian cheetahs - five female and three male - were released into their enclosures at the KNP on September 17 at an event attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The last cheetah died in India in Koriya district of present-day Chhattisgarh in 1947 and the fastest land animal was declared extinct in the country in 1952.