Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project - Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary

Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary

Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary was selected as the reintroduction site for critically 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 & guidelines developed by IUCN/SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group and IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group which are followed before any reintroduction attempt anywhere in the world.

Twenty four villages of the Sahariya tribe, which had lived in the remote core area set aside for the reintroduction of the Asiatic lions in Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, were moved out of the Sanctuary to prepare it for receiving a lion population. They were rehabilitated to a new location on the edge of the Kuno sanctuary by incurring an expense equal to millions of dollars under a Central Government of India sponsored scheme. The plan included expenses on infrastructure development, so that they can have access to basic amenities like roads, schools and a hospital. Samrakshan Trust, an NGO, has been working for better rehabilitation of villagers who agreed to move out of the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary.

The resettled villages were allocated housing and agricultural land at Village Agraa outside the sanctuary. The stated purpose of this move was to create a safe home and an inviolate space for the translocated prides of critically endangered Indian lions. However, major gaps remained in the implementation of these measures The economic impact of their displacement from Kuno sanctuary has been very adverse for the villagers, according to independent research, making this a controversial case of species preservation via dislocation of human populations living inside Protected Areas.