Bhopal: Namibian female cheetah Jwala gave birth to five cubs in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on Monday, earning the big cat the tag of “Kuno’s Super Mom.” With this, the number of Jwala’s surviving cubs in the national park has now reached nine, representing a quarter of the wildlife sanctuary’s total population of 33 cheetahs. Interestingly, female cheetah Mukhi, the only surviving cub among Jwala’s four siblings, previously held the distinction of being the first cheetah mother in India by giving birth to five cubs in Kuno on November 20, 2025. Jwala gave birth to four cubs in her first litter on March 29, 2023, only one of whom, Mukhi, survived. Jwala gave birth to four cubs for the second time on January 23, 2024, three of which survived. The Namibian cheetah gave birth to five cubs on Monday for the third time. Uttam Kumar Sharma, Field Director of Kuno National Park, told this newspaper, “Jwala is Kuno’s most successful mother. After giving birth three times, she has given birth to nine healthy Indian cubs.”
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav said in a post on X, “May Jwala and her cubs be strong and move forward, taking the Indian cheetah story to even greater heights.” According to Mr. Sharma, all six adult female cheetahs in Kuno have now successfully given birth. Mr. Sharma said that together they have given birth to 45 Indian cubs, 33 of which are healthy. Jwala is the only female cheetah in Kuno to have given birth for the third time so far. Praising Jwala’s record third motherhood, Union Minister Mr. Yadav said, “This is a very proud moment for Project Cheetah as Jwala, a Namibian cheetah and a third successful mother, gave birth to five cubs in Kuno National Park today.” With this, the number of successful cheetah births in India has reached 33, marking the tenth successful cheetah birth on Indian soil – another important milestone in India’s cheetah conservation journey, he said. With the arrival of these cubs, the total cheetah population in India now stands at 53. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also praised the development, calling it a “proud moment for wildlife conservation and a strong testimony to the success of India’s cheetah reintroduction efforts.”
Cheetah Jwala gives birth to five cubs in Kuno National Park
