Five cheetahs were released into the wild in Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district on Friday, an official said.

Jwala, which was brought to KNP from Namibia, and her four cubs were released into the wild from their enclosures, an official statement informed.

This takes the total number of cheetahs in the wild to 12, while 14 remain in enclosures, it added.

Earlier, seven cheetahs, comprising two males and an equal number of females as well as four cubs, were released into the wild, the statement said. While five cheetahs were released on February 5, two others were released in December.

On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight Namibian cheetahs, comprising five females and three males, into enclosures at KNP as part of the the world’s first intercontinental translocation of the big cats.

In February 2023, a set of 12 cheetahs were flown into KNP from South Africa.

KNP is now home to 26 cheetahs, comprising eight from South Africa, four from Namibia and 14 cubs born on Indian soil.

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