Kuno National Park

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Environment

Why in News?

A South African cheetah, Gamini, gave birth to three cubs in Kuno National Park, raising India’s total cheetah population to 38.

Location – It is a protected area in the Kuno Wildlife Division of Sheopur district, Madhya Pradesh.
- It is a part of the Central Indian Vindhyan Hills.
Notified in – 1981 (as Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary)
Upgraded to a National Park in December 2018.
Vegetation – Southern & Northern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests, Dry Savannah Forest & Grassland and Tropical Riverine Forest.
- Dominant trees – Kardhai, Salai and Khair trees.
River system – The Kuno River flows through the park as the main water source for the forest.
Kuno River is a tributary of the Chambal River.
Fauna – Herbivores – Spotted deer (Chital), Sambar, Barking deer, Chousingha, Nilgai, Chinkara, Blackbuck, Gaur.
Carnivores – Leopard, Wild dog (Dhole), Striped Hyaena, Indian Wolf, Jackal, Jungle/Desert cat.
Others – Sloth bear, Indian fox, Civets, Mongooses, Indian hare, Porcupine, Tree shrew, Langur, Rhesus monkey.
Historical sites – Kuno National Park has forts such as Palpur, Amet, and Maitoni, remnants of former princely rulers.

Quick Facts

Project Cheetah

It is India’s ambitious cheetah relocation program and the 1st intercontinental reintroduction of a wild, large carnivore species.
Launched on – September 17, 2022, with the translocation of the first batch of cheetahs from Namibia.
Aim – To bring in 5–10 animals every year, over the next decade, until a self-sustaining population of cheetahs is established.
Implementing body – The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
Assisted by – The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF).

Asiatic cheetah

Scientific name – Acinonyx jubatus venaticus
Distribution – Its range once spread from the Arabian Peninsula and Near East to northern South Asia.
IUCN – Critically Endangered.
Asiatic cheetahs, once abundant in India, were officially declared extinct by the Indian government in 1952.

African cheetah

Scientific name – Acinonyx jubatus jubatus, native to East and Southern Africa.
Distribution – Lives mainly in grasslands, scrublands and open forests across Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.
IUCN Status – Vulnerable.

Reference

TH | Kuno National Park