Relocation of Asiatic lions to Kuno may relegate tigers: Activists

JAIPUR: While the Supreme Court order on Monday of relocating some of the Asiatic lions found only in the Gir forest of Gujarat to the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh might have brought smiles on many faces, it has also stolen the same from some. The apex court's orders on a PIL are a bid to disperse the highly-endangered species in a bid to save it from total extinction.

Close to Ranthambhore tiger reserve, the Kuno wildlife sanctuary has played host to many a tiger from Rajasthan and activists fear that the presence of lions in Kuno might just jeopardize the chances of the tigers' survival there or at least relegate it to the second position.

In the recent past in February 2011, a male tiger T-38 from Ranthambore found a new home at Kuno-Palpur sanctuary in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh. The tiger was caught by a trap camera. Currently, a male cub is said to be present in the sanctuary too.

"Tigers dispersing to Kuno is a natural thing. With the population of tigers increasing at the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary, some of the sub-adult tigers have been wandering off to Kuno since the past five years or so," says Rajpal Singh, member of the state wildlife board.

According to field biologist Dharmendra Khandal of the Tiger Watch, "Personally, I too am not happy with the court decision. Even if one were to see it from outside the perspective of Ranthambhore, Kuno is a very important tiger corridor and central point of the 10,000 sq km landscape surrounded by many tiger reserves or possible tiger habitats. But introduction of lions might just relegate the tiger to the second spot as far as giving importance to it is concerned."

Surrounding the Kuno sanctuary are areas like Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, Datia in Madhya Pradesh, Shahabad near Baran in Rajasthan and Sheopur most of which form habitats ideal for the tiger. "The Kuno has been an ideal habitat for tigers and has been nestling them for long. Lions were there in the past but did not manage to survive. Therefore, it may not be ideal to relocate lions there," Khandal added.