Bhopal, Jan 24 (IANS): Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Wednesday said that Namibian cheetah Jwala has delivered four cubs and not three at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP).

The fourth cub was noticed after frontline wildlife warriors spotted the cheetah and her leader from very close distance on Wednesday and found another cub, he said.

"Wildlife wonders! as frontline wildlife warriors managed to get closer to Jwala, they found she has given birth to four, not three, cubs. This has increased our joy several times over. Congratulations all. We pray the cubs thrive and prosper at their home in India," Yadav said in a social media post.

With the new cub spotted, the number of big cats at Kuno rose to 21, including 13 adult cheetahs transported from Namibia and South Africa and as many as eight cubs borne on Indian soil.

Yadav on Tuesday had announced on X that the Namibian cheetah had delivered three cubs.

Even some Madhya Pradesh wildlife officials, associated with the 'Project Cheetah' at Kuno, told different news organisations that three cubs were born.

Jwala had delivered four cubs in March last year – the first time a cheetah cub was born on Indian soil in 70 years since the fastest-moving animals were declared extinct in the country.

However, three out of four cubs died in June last year due to heat stroke, and only one survived.

At that time, Jwala was known by her Namibian birth name Siyaya.

The Union Forest and Wildlife Ministry in April 2023 had given all cheetahs their Indian names and therefore, Siyaya became Jwala.

Before Jwala, another Namibian cheetah Aasha had delivered three cubs on January 3. Hence, there are total eight cubs at Kuno at present, of them five of them born to Jwala (four this time and one that survived of last year's litter).

These newly-born cubs have not just given rise to the hope for success of India’s ambitious ‘Project Cheetah’ but also increased the cheetah count from the number that were transported from Namibia and South Africa.

India has transported a total 20 cheetahs in two batches – eight from Namibia on September 17, 2022, and 12 cheetahs from South Africa on February 18, 2023.