The cheetah is a large cat and the fastest land animal, with tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. It has a small, rounded head, a short snout, and distinctive black tear-like facial streaks. It is often confused with jaguars and leopards due to their similar appearance.
The last three known Asiatic cheetahs in India were killed in 1947. The species was officially declared extinct in the country in 1952.
In 2022, India launched an intercontinental initiative called ‘Project Cheetah’ to reintroduce cheetahs to the country, beginning with a group of eight cheetahs from Namibia. The first batch arrived in September 2022 and was released into Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
Cheetah Mukhi was born in March 2023 to a Namibian cheetah named Jwala, is the first cheetah born on Indian soil to reproduce. She was the sole survivor of her litter and was hand-reared by park officials after her siblings succumbed to extreme heat.
On November 20, Indian-born Cheetah Mukhi gave birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park. This marks the first successful birth from an Indian-born cheetah, making it a major milestone for India’s cheetah reintroduction programme.
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