3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Feb 7, 2026 02:06 PM IST
Five cubs were born at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park to the Namibian cheetah Aasha on Saturday, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav broke the news over a post on X.
Hailing Project Cheetah launched in 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yadav shared that with the birth of the five cubs, the total cheetah population in India has risen to 35.
Yadav wrote: “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 @narendramodi ji.”
Kuno Welcomes the Birth of FIVE Cubs 🐆✨
Aasha’s legacy leaps forward—India welcomes her five adorable cubs!
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… pic.twitter.com/vTXFkZJoso
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) February 7, 2026
He also lauded the efforts of the on-ground team comprising wildlife staff and veterinarians. “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,” he wrote.
The cheetah had arrived in Kuno on September 17, 2022 in a crate marked “Aasha – The Hope”. She had also given birth to three cubs on January 1, 2024, who are now 25 months old.
Project Cheetah
As part of Project Cheetah, 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa were relocated to Kuno National Park on September 17, 2022. This project had hit a major roadblock in August 2023 after three adult cheetahs “died due to septicaemia after wounds beneath their dense winter coat on the back and neck regions became infested with maggots”.
This incident made the Cheetah Project Steering Committee — a panel of experts that monitors and advises the government on the reintroduction of cheetahs — decide that cheetahs would be released in a phased manner, starting with coalitions (a group that lives together), then individual cheetahs and at last, mothers with their cubs.
Last year, the female cheetah Aasha and three of her cubs were released from a large enclosure into the open jungle at Kuno National Park.
