Recently there was a proposal to translocate some of the lions from their natural habitat in Gujarat to which one of the following sites?
A) Corbett National Park
B) Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary
C) Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary
D) Sariska National Park
Explanation : Ans : (B)
In 2012, scientists from the centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad published a landmark research paper titled genetic evidence of tiger population structure and migration within an isolated and fragmented landscape in Northwest India.
The research established a healthy dispersal and migration of tigers between Ranthambore tiger reserve in Rajasthan to Kuno-Palpur and Madhav National Park in Madhya Pradesh the research is significant also for the lions in India for it established the credentials of the argument against the proposed translocation of lions from Gir in Gujarat to Kuno-Palpur.
Corbett National Park
Corbett National Park, established in 1936 with the name Hailey National Park and renamed as Ramganga National Park in 1952, got its present name in 1957 after Jim Corbett, the famous naturalist and photographer.
Project Tiger – a special conservation project to conserve the rare species of royal Bengal Tiger was started on April 1st 1973.
It was the biggest conservation initiative of its time that was started first time in Corbett.
The park was designated a Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR), amongst the first nine that were born of the initiative of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
Kuno palpur wildlife sanctuary
Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, also called Palpur- Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary and Kuno-Palpur, lies in the Sheopur district of north western Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India.
It is about 200 km (120 mi) from Gwalior. It is part of the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
The Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary was selected as the reintroduction site for the endangered Asiatic lion because it is in the former range of the lions before it was hunted into extinction in about 1873.
It was selected following stringent international criteria and internationally accepted requirements and guidelines developed by the IUCN/SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group and IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group which are followed before any reintroduction attempt anywhere in the world.
The lions are to be reintroduced from Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighboring Indian state of Gujarat where they are currently overpopulated. This has involved the displacement of twenty four villages of the Sahariya tribe, which had lived in the remote core area set aside for the reintroduction of the Asiatic lions, who agreed to move out.
Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary
Mudumalai reserve was declared the first wildlife sanctuary in southern India in 1940.Total area of the park is 103.24 Km2.
It was declared as a National Park in the year of 1990. In April 2007, the Tamil Nadu state government declared Mudumalai to be a tiger reserve.
The river Moyar that flows along the border or Tamil Nadu and Karnataka separates the two.
The Mysore-Ooty highway runs through the Park, following the course of the Moyar River, which separates Mudumalai from Bandipur.
The Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary also a declared tiger reserve, lies on the northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills (Blue Mountains), in Nilgiri District, about 150 kilometres (93 mi) north-west of Coimbatore city in Tamil Nadu.
It shares its boundaries with the states of Karnataka and Kerala. Land of the ancients, ‘old hills’ is what Mudumalai literally translates into.
It is one of the first wildlife sanctuaries in the country and ranks among the top in the visual beauty of its changing seasons.
Sariska Tiger Reserve
Sariska is a beautiful place, located in the Alwar district of the state of Rajasthan.
The area of Sariska, being a part of the Aravalli Range. Sariska was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955.
The reserve was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 and came under the “Project Tiger” as a Sariska tiger reserve in 1979.
The total area of the sanctuary is about 800 km2.
Sariska National Park
The landscape of Sariska comprises of hills and narrow valleys of the Aravalli hill range. The topography of Sariska supports scrub-thorn arid forests.
The reserve was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 and came under the “Project Tiger” as a Sariska tiger reserve in 1979. Total area of the National park is about 273.8 km2. Sariska was a hunting reserve for royal families in past.
The wildlife include Dhok, Salar, Juliflora, Kadaya, Dhak, Gol, Ber, Khair, Bargad, Arjun, Gugal, Bogambilya, Adulsa, Dhok, Danda Thor, Kakera, Kheep, Khejari, Neem, Babul, Tendu, Bamboo etc.
The broad range of wildlife here is a wonderful example of ecological adoption and tolerance, for the climate here is variable as well as erratic. Visitors can visit Sariska national Park throughout the year, but the best time to visit is between October to June.
National park is an area which is strictly reserved for the betterment of the wildlife & biodiversity, and where activities like developmental, forestry, poaching, hunting and grazing on cultivation are not permitted. Their boundaries are well marked and circumscribed.
Sariska is a beautiful place, located in the Alwar district of the state of Rajasthan. The area of Sariska, being a part of the Aravalli Range.
Sariska was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955. The reserve was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 and came under the “Project Tiger” as a Sariska tiger reserve in 1979. The total area of the sanctuary is about 800 km2.
The Sariska tiger reserve was declared as a National park in 1982. Total area of the National park is about 273.8 km2.
The landscape of Sariska comprises of hills and narrow valleys of the Aravalli hill range.
The topography of Sariska supports scrub-thorn arid forests, rocky landscapes, tropical forest, grasslands, dry deciduous forests, rocks and hilly cliffs. The area of Sariska is rich in mineral resources, such as copper.
