Indian-born cheetah gives birth to 5 cubs at Kuno, seen as 'strong sign' of adaptation
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Sheopur (PTI): Indian-born cheetah Mukhi has given birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Thursday, describing it as a "strong sign" of the viability and adaptation of the species that was reintroduced in the country three years ago.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced the development and said it was an unprecedented breakthrough for Project Cheetah.
“A historic milestone has been achieved as Indian-born cheetah Mukhi has given birth to five cubs....The mother and cubs are doing well,” he said in a post on X.
Mukhi, the first Indian-born female cheetah, has now also become the first Indian-born cheetah to reproduce, he noted.
“The successful reproduction of an Indian-born cheetah is a strong indicator of the species’ adaptation, health, and long-term prospects in Indian habitats,” Yadav said, adding that it strengthens optimism about establishing a self-sustaining and genetically diverse population of the spotted cat in India.
Cheetahs were reintroduced in India on September 17, 2022, several decades after they became extinct in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had then released eight animals, five females and three males, brought from Namibia, marking the first-ever intercontinental translocation of the species.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav termed the birth of cubs at Kuno a "significant development" that shows "strong signs of adaptation, health, and long-term viability" of the cheetah in Indian habitats.
It "reinforces optimism about establishing a self-sustaining and genetically diverse cheetah population in India," he said in a statement, also noting that it was the first known instance in recent history of an Indian-born cheetah reproducing successfully.
The birth strengthens confidence in the country's conservation strategy, the minister added.
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Indian visa application centre suspended indefinitely in Bangladesh's Chattogram
Dhaka (PTI): India on Sunday suspended visa operations at its mission in Bangladeshi port city of Chattogram until further notice, according to media reports.
The move comes in the wake of a fresh wave of unrest witnessed in the country following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday.
Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
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He was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18.
“Due to the recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong (Chattogram) will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) said in a brief statement.
The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation, the statement added. The decision came into effect on Sunday.
There are five IVAC facilities across Bangladesh at Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Sylhet. An IVAC official told PTI that the other four offices have remained operational as of Sunday.
India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed for a brief period two other identical facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there.
On Saturday, security was strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city.
The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that “no third party can exploit the situation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper on Saturday.
Hadi, 32, was laid to rest on Saturday amid extra-tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque.
Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral prayers, and ahead of the ritual, chanted anti-India slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka - Dhaka, Dhaka” and “brother Hadi’s blood will not be allowed to go in vain.”
Earlier on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” it said.
The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.
