Five more African cheetahs were released from enclosures into the forest at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on Wednesday.
With this, of the total 26 cheetahs at the KNP, seven are out in the wild.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav released female cheetahs Dheera and Asha along with Asha's three cubs into the wild in the afternoon.
He also reviewed the Project Cheetah, rolled out in September 2022 to reintroduce the fastest land animal in India which became extinct in the country in 1952, with officials.
"It is a matter of immense happiness to see that the cheetah, once extinct from Asia, is expanding its family in Madhya Pradesh," the CM said.
On Tuesday, CM Yadav had shared news that two cubs were born to cheetah Veera.
The KNP is now home to 26 cheetahs -- 14 cubs and 12 adults.
Of these, seven cheetahs -- four adults and three cubs -- are now in the wild, while 19 -- eight adults and 11 cubs -- are left in the enclosures.
In December last year, cheetahs Vayu and Agni were released into the wild from their enclosures.
On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight Namibian cheetahs -- five females and three males -- into enclosures at the KNP as part of the world's first intercontinental translocation of the big cats, seven decades after the animal became extinct in India due to hunting and habitat loss.
Some of the 20 cheetahs brought to India so far -- eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023 -- were initially released into the wild, but were brought back to enclosures by August 2023 after the death of three cheetahs due to septicemia (blood poisoning by bacteria).
Later in August, 2024, the lone free-ranging cheetah Pawan was found dead. The male Pawan, after being released into the wild on March 11, 2023, was brought back to an enclosure in April and again released into the forest July the same year.
The male cheetah had strayed into Karauli district in neighbouring Rajasthan from where the wild animal was rescued and shifted to the KNP.
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