By Benjamin Wickham
Bhopal, March 29 — Namibian cheetah ‘Siyaya’ has given birth to four cubs in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district, according to officials involved in the conservation project. All four cubs are healthy, and a team of experts is monitoring the health of the mother and her offspring.
This news comes shortly after a female Namibian cheetah named Sasha died of renal infection, raising questions about her health history. However, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed his happiness about the birth of the four cubs, saying that this is the first time that Madhya Pradesh has welcomed four cubs in Kuno National Park. He also noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given a big gift to the state on his birthday, referring to the release of 20 cheetahs in two batches from Namibia and South Africa.
Of the 20 cheetahs released, 19 are doing fine, according to Rajesh Chouhan, the chief forest officer in Madhya Pradesh. He also dismissed rumours that two other cheetahs were unhealthy.
The successful breeding of Namibian cheetahs in India is a positive sign for the conservation of the species, which is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The Kuno National Park project aims to reintroduce cheetahs into India after the species was declared extinct in the country in 1952. The park has been preparing for the arrival of the cheetahs for several years, and the birth of the four cubs is a promising development for the ongoing conservation efforts.
– Namibia Daily News
