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Kuno conservation model expanded as tiger marks territory
Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park initiates a multi-species conservation plan, hosting a tiger from Ranthambore alongside cheetahs and leopards.
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno national park has decided to launch a multi-species conservation plan for big cats with a tiger from Rajasthan’s Ranthambore Tiger Reserve joining the Cheetahs and Leopards at the facility.
According to the state forest department, Kuno has 50 cheetahs imported from South Africa, Namibia and Botswana and 60 native leopards.
The tiger identified as RBT-2512, the offspring of tigress T-107 from Ranthambore, has been roaming in Kuno since December and was sighted again on Thursday by villagers, said Kuno National Park field director Uttam Sharma.
“There is a corridor between Ranthambore and Kuno and tiger movement has always been recorded. This time, the tiger has stayed longer, which is encouraging as Kuno now hosts all three major carnivores. We are monitoring his presence, as the park currently has 50 cheetahs, including newborns, and more than 60 leopards,” Sharma said.
It is a traditional tiger movement corridor and in the last 10 years, Ranthambore tigers have entered Kuno and stayed there for months before going back. Ranthambore has the third highest density of tigers in India after Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand and Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
Sharma said carnivores are capable of coexisting with each other.
“In South Africa, cheetahs live alongside lions, and historically in India, cheetahs shared habitats with tigers and leopards before their extinction. With the tiger settling in Kuno, the park is emerging as a model for multi-species conservation. Cheetahs have also begun moving towards Madhav National Park, where tigers already reside, further strengthening the case for coexistence,” he added.
However, forest officials remain cautious about the tiger’s permanent stay, as he may move further or return to Rajasthan in search of a mate. “We are hoping for female tigers to migrate to Kuno, which would make their presence permanent. Otherwise, he may go back,” Sharma said.
Before the translocation of cheetahs to India, wildlife experts had raised doubts over the coexistence of cheetahs with leopards and tigers. The officials said no conflict has been reported between cheetahs and leopards in Kuno so far. “We are monitoring the movement of the tiger inside Kuno,” the official said.
An expert, who is part of Cheetah Translocation Project, said the leopards are already living with cheetahs at Kuno and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur, where the former were relocated from Kuno to develop a second habitat for them.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Cheetah Steering Committee have discussed the co-existence of carnivores, noting that cheetahs are moving towards Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan, where Ranthambore is situated. They emphasised the need to study behavioural patterns of the three species to guide future strategies for the free movement of cheetahs.
Additional principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) L Krishnamurthy said, “Kuno National Park has scripted a success not only in India but worldwide. This is a good sign for the success of the Cheetah Translocation project.”
