Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary

Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary or Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the Sheopur district of north western Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India. It is about 200.0km from Gwalior. Its ecoregion is that of Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests.HistoryAn area of 344.686km2 was set aside as a wildlife sanctuary in 1981. Since then this has been elevated to the Kuno Wildlife Division with an additional area of 900.0km2 as a buffer area around the sanctuary. The park is home to many species of wild animals, including Indian wolves, monkeys, Indian leopards and nilgai.Feral zebu cattle roam the sanctuary, left behind by the relocated Sahariya tribal herders. The cattle are intended to serve as buffer prey for Asiatic lions, until wild prey populations are revived.Reintroduction of Asiatic lionsWildlife Institute of India researchers confirmed that the Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary is the most promising location to re-establish a free ranging population of Asiatic lions and certified it ready to receive its first batch of translocated lions from Gir Wildlife Sanctuary where they are highly overpopulated. There are large scale deaths in the population annually because of ever increasing competition due to animal overcrowding. Asiatic lion prides require large territories but there is limited space at Gir wildlife sanctuary, which is boxed in on all sides by heavy human habitation.