Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project

The Gir Forest in the State of Gujarat, India is the last natural habitat of more than 674 wild Asiatic lions, though plans are afoot to re-introduce some to Kuno National Park in the neighboring State of Madhya Pradesh to ensure their longterm survival against epidemics and natural calamities.

The Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project is an initiative of the Indian Government to provide safeguards to the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica)[a] from extinction in the wild by means of reintroduction. The last wild population of the Asiatic lion is found in the region of Gir Forest National Park, in the state of Gujarat. The single population faces the threats of epidemics, natural disasters and other anthropogenic factors. The project aims to establish a second independent population of Asiatic lions at the Kuno National Park in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.[2] However, the proposed translocation has been bitterly contested by the state government.

  1. ^ Kitchener, A. C.; Breitenmoser-Würsten, C.; Eizirik, E.; Gentry, A.; Werdelin, L.; Wilting, A.; Yamaguchi, N.; Abramov, A. V.; Christiansen, P.; Driscoll, C.; Duckworth, J. W.; Johnson, W.; Luo, S.-J.; Meijaard, E.; O’Donoghue, P.; Sanderson, J.; Seymour, K.; Bruford, M.; Groves, C.; Hoffmann, M.; Nowell, K.; Timmons, Z.; Tobe, S. (2017). "A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 11): 71−73.
  2. ^ Johnsingh, AJT (1 February 2006). Field Days: A Naturalist's Journey Through South and Southeast Asia. Universities Press. pp. 126–138. ISBN 978-81-7371-552-5. Retrieved 22 April 2013.


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