A Birth That Changes India’s Wild Future: Mukhi’s Five Cubs and the Cheetah Revival

Across the sun-drenched plains of Kuno National Park, life is stirring in a way it hasn’t for decades. Five tiny cheetah cubs have opened their eyes to the world, the first generation of Indian-born cheetahs in the country’s modern history. 

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At the centre of this new beginning is Mukhi, a young female whose journey from abandoned cub to mother is nothing short of extraordinary.

She was born in March 2023, the only survivor of her litter. Left alone shortly after birth, she was carefully nurtured by the veterinary team at Kuno, who guided her through her earliest, most vulnerable days. Over time, she grew into a confident and agile predator, learning to navigate the park’s grasslands and adapt to the rhythms of the wild. 

Now, she has entered a new chapter of her life, bringing her own cubs into a world their species once left behind in India.

The birth of these five cubs is a milestone for conservation. Decades ago, cheetahs disappeared entirely from Indian landscapes, and efforts to reintroduce them began only in 2022, with a small group brought from Namibia and South Africa. 

Mukhi’s babies signal that the species can not only survive but grow, adapting to their restored habitat and showing the potential for a self-sustaining population in the future.

Watching the cubs explore their surroundings, stumbling and tumbling as they discover the grasslands, is a vivid reminder of nature’s resilience. They are a symbol of hope and persistence, proof that careful planning and human dedication can give life a second chance.

Mukhi’s story, from a hand-reared orphan to a mother, embodies the determination and care that have made this moment possible. With her five cubs now venturing across Kuno’s plains, India glimpses the return of a lost legacy, the fastest land animal once again running freely across its historic home.