Kuno National Park (KNP)

About Kuno National Park (KNP):

 

• Location:
  • It is located in the Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh.
  • It is nestled near the Vindhyan Hills.
• It is named after the Kuno River (One of the main tributaries of the Chambal River) that cuts across it.
• Initially established as a wildlife sanctuary, it was only in 2018 that the government changed its status into a national park.
• Kuno National Park was selected under ‘Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India’. 
• Vegetation: Kuno is primarily a grassland region, though a few rocky outcrops are found here too. 
• Flora:
  • Kardhai, Salai, and Khair trees dominate the forested area of Kuno National Park, which is mostly mixed forest.
  • The park has a total of 123 tree species, 71 shrub species, 32 exotic and climbing species, and 34 bamboo and grass species.

·   Fauna: The protected area of the forest is home to the jungle cat, Indian leopard, sloth bear, Indian wolf, striped hyena, golden jackal, Bengal fox and dhole, along with more than 120 bird species.

 

Project Cheetah:

• World's first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.
• Project Cheetah was approved by the Supreme Court of India in January 2020 as a pilot programme to reintroduce the species to India.
• Close to 50 cheetahs will be introduced into the wild over the next five years.

 

---

Q1) What are carnivores?

Carnivores are a group of animals that primarily consume meat or the flesh of other animals as their main source of nutrition. They are part of the ecological trophic level known as "secondary consumers" or "predators." Carnivores are adapted with specialized anatomical features and hunting strategies that enable them to catch, kill, and consume their prey efficiently.

Source: 10 arrested for hunting, encroachment of forest land near Kuno National Park