Against the odds, Mukhi becomes first cheetah cub born in India to reach adulthood

Born in 2023, Mukhi survives against the odds as Kuno’s cheetah reintroduction effort turns a corner.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first eight Namibian cheetahs into Kuno National Park in September 2022, the ambitious experiment was greeted with both excitement and scepticism. Three years later, that project has its first homegrown success story: Mukhi, a female cub born at Kuno, has officially reached adulthood.

Mukhi was one of four cubs delivered by Namibian cheetah Jwala in March 2023. While her siblings died during a brutal heatwave, Mukhi endured. On Monday, she turned 915 days, or 30 months old, the age when a cub is considered an adult, capable of breeding and contributing to the country’s fragile cheetah population.

“Mukhi has grown well. Today our efforts have yielded encouraging results,” Project Cheetah director Uttam Kumar Sharma told PTI.

How India brought back the cheetah

India’s cheetahs vanished in the 1950s. In 2022, the government launched Project Cheetah, the world’s first inter-continental relocation of a large wild carnivore.

September 17, 2022: PM Modi released eight cheetahs from Namibia into Kuno.
February 2023: Another 12 cheetahs from South Africa arrived.

Since then, cheetahs have bred multiple times at Kuno, proving adaptation to Indian conditions.

Today, India has 27 cheetahs: 24 in Kuno and 3 in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. Of these, 16 were born in India.

Successes and setbacks

The journey hasn’t been without losses. Accoridng to PTI, since the project began:

19 cheetahs have died, nine imported adults and ten India-born cubs.
26 cubs have been born at Kuno so far.

Yet conservationists see progress: India’s cub survival rate is 61 percent, compared to the global average of 40 percent.

This means that despite challenges, extreme weather, disease, and adaptation hurdles , Kuno’s cheetah population has seen a net gain of seven animals compared to the 20 initially imported.

What comes next for Project Cheetah

Officials told PTI that Mukhi’s milestone is proof that the reintroduction is moving in the right direction. “The fact that cheetahs are breeding and their cubs are surviving shows the species can adapt here,” a project source said.

India is now in talks with several African countries to bring in fresh batches of cheetahs. Negotiations are underway with Botswana, which may send 8–10 cheetahs by December, while Namibia is also being considered for future imports.

The goal: diversify the genetic pool and ensure the long-term stability of the population.

Why Mukhi matters

Mukhi’s survival is more than just a conservation milestone. It represents a turning point for Project Cheetah, a signal that India’s ambitious gamble could pay off.

From extinction in the 1950s to breeding success in 2023, the cheetah’s journey in India is still fragile, but it is now moving with cautious optimism.