India-born cheetah KJP21 gives birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park, taking India's cheetah population to 60 and starting the Botswana lineage

Key facts

• An India-born female cheetah, KJP21, aged 32 months, gave birth to five healthy cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district, taking India's total cheetah population to 60, including 41 born on Indian soil.
• The father of the five cubs is a cheetah brought from Botswana, so the birth marks the beginning of the Botswana lineage in India, adding a new genetic lineage to the country's growing cheetah population.
• KJP21 is the third India-born female cheetah to give birth, after Mukhi and KGP12.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the birth and congratulated the veterinarians, forest officials, field staff and management team associated with Project Cheetah.