BHOPAL: In the lush green forests of Kuno, a little bundle of spots scurries around.
It's the first cheetah born in the wild in India in seven decades.
A year into Project Cheetah, the baby cheetah carries on its shoulders the hopes of one of the most ambitious wildlife projects in the world.The born-in-India cheetah has survived against the odds - the death of its three siblings, two months after birth, an indication of hardships of acclimatization in a land far away from the birthplace of their mother, Jwala.Last year, on this day, PM Modi had released Jwala and seven other cheetahs translocated from Namibia into protected enclosures at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
Over the past 12 months, nine cheetahs died as it fought to adapt to the new challenges.
The mortality rate is within the expected parameters, say those handling Project Cheetah, but it's the birth and survival of the cub that tips the scales towards hope.
In March 2023, as seasons shifted, a startling revelation unfolded.
Veterinarians noticed a bulge in Jwala's belly.
Later that month, history was born, as foresters discovered four furry cubs in a den amid wild grasses - shrubs.
They were the first cheetahs to be born in the wild in India in 75 years.
As summer intensified, heat became an adversary.
One by one, three of the cubs died, but the lone survivor clung on by its tiny claws.
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