Kuno national park

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• State: Madhya Pradesh 
• The protected area was established in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary with an area of 344.686 km2 in the Sheopur and Morena districts. 
• It was also known as Kuno-Palpur and Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Received the status of national park in 2018.
• In the 1990s, it was selected as a possible site to implement the Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project, which aimed at establishing a second lion population in India.
• It is underway to become a second home for Asiatic lions.

Flora

• The vegetation of the protected area includes Anogeissus pendula forest and scrub, Boswellia and Butea forest, dry savanna forest and grassland and tropical riverine forest. 
• The dominant tree species are Acacia catechu, Salai Boswellia serrata, Tendu Diospyros melanoxylon, Palash Butea monosperma, Dhok Anogeissus latifolia, Acacia leucophloea, Ziziphus mauritiana and Ziziphus xylopyrus. 
• Prominent shrub species include Grewia flavescens, Helicteres isora, Hopbush viscosa, Vitex negundo. 

Fauna

• The main predators in the protected area are Indian leopard, jungle cat, sloth bear, dhole, Indian wolf, golden jackal, striped hyena and Bengal fox. 
• Ungulates include chital, Sambar deer, nilgai, four-horned antelope, chinkara, blackbuck and wild boar.
• More than 1,900 feral zebu were estimated to occur in 2008, whereas density of wild ungulates was considered too low to sustain an introduced lion population at the time.

Birds

• A total of 129 bird species were sighted during a survey in spring 2007. 
• Indian white-backed vulture, long-billed vulture, red-headed vulture, Egyptian vulture, crested serpent-eagle, short-toed snake eagle Bonelli’s eagle, white-eyed buzzard, changeable hawk-eagle, brown fish owl and spotted owlet are resident raptors. 
• Western marsh-harrier, pied harrier, Montagu’s harrier, steppe eagle, osprey, common kestrel, short-eared owl, Demoiselle crane and common crane are winter visitors.

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