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Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday applauded the achievements made made under Prime minister Narendra Modi's 'Cheetah Project' after a female cheetah gave birth to cubs at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
Taking to social media X, Scindia wrote in a post "Good news !There are cries of joy in Kuno National Park once again. Female cheetah Nirva has given birth to her cubs. This success is a major achievement for Prime Minister Shri Narendra modi ji's ambitious 'Cheetah Project'. On this happy occasion, my congratulations and best wishes to the entire team of Kuno administration and forest department." Project Cheetah was launched to revive the presence of the almost extinct Cheetah in the country. In 2022, eight Cheetahs - brought from Namibia - were introduced in India under Project Cheetah. Subsequently, twelve cheetahs from South Africa were also translocated and released in Kuno National Park in February 2023. Since their arrival, the project has faced challenges, with eight adult cheetahs--three females and five males--dying. Despite these setbacks, there has been some success in breeding, with 17 cubs born in India and 12 of them surviving, bringing the current cheetah population in Kuno, including cubs, to 24. Beyond Kuno, India has plans to expand the cheetah population to other suitable habitats. Discussions are also underway for introducing cheetahs to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, where preparatory measures are being finalized. The Environment Ministry is currently in negotiations with South Africa and Kenya to bring in additional cheetahs. "We are in negotiations with South Africa and Kenya in this regard and we are also looking to augment prey and remove species which might be dangerous for them," said senior official. (ANI)
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