MP sees record 3rd successful tiger reintroduction after Panna, Nauradehi, state gets 9th tiger reserve
With the birth of two cubs to a female tiger, the number of big cats in Madhav National Park has gone up to five
Bhopal: In the third successful tiger reintroduction project in Madhya Pradesh, a record in the country, two cubs were born in the Madhav National Park in Shivpuri district in the state after the introduction of three big cats in the wildlife sanctuary in 2023.
Coinciding with the completion of two years of tiger reintroduction project in Madhav National Park, the wildlife sanctuary was declared a tiger reserve late on Friday evening, making it the ninth tiger reserve in the state and 58th in the country.
With the birth of two cubs to a female tiger, the number of big cats in Madhav National Park has gone up to five.
“It is the third successful tiger reintroduction project in Madhya Pradesh after Panna and Nauradehi”, additional principal chief conservator of forest (APCCF) (wildlife) L Krishnamoorthi told this newspaper.
Chief minister Mohan Yadav is scheduled to make an official announcement according Madhav National Park the status of a tiger reserve after releasing a tiger couple in the reserve on Monday, a senior forest officer told this newspaper, unwilling to be quoted.
Three tigers including two females were introduced in the Madhav National Park in 2023 under a tiger reintroduction project.
The three tigers were brought from different reserve forests in the state.
One tigress and one tiger will be brought from Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) and Pench Tiger Reserve respectively in the state for release in the Madhav National Park on March ten under the tiger reintroduction project.
In the first tiger reintroduction project in Madhya Pradesh, a couple of big cats were introduced in Panna Tiger Reserve in 2009.
Tiger population was completely wiped out in Panna reserve in 2008 due to large scale poaching and hunting.
Panna now has a tiger population of over 60, according to Mr. Krishnamoorthi.
In 2015-16, Madhya Pradesh forest department launched its second tiger reintroduction project in Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary, now rechristened as Veerangana Durgavati tiger reserve, by releasing a couple of big cats in the reserve.
The reserve is now home to a dozen tigers.
