Why India's Kuno National Park became the center of a major wildlife conservation debate

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Kuno National Park was originally prepared to host Asiatic lions, but it became the site for an ambitious African cheetah reintroduction project instead. This shift sparked significant controversy among conservationists, who question the scientific validity of the project and suggest it was used to avoid transferring lions from Gujarat.

Located in the Gwalior Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh, Kuno National Park was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1981. Spanning an initial 344.686 square kilometers, the area was expanded over time, reaching 748.76 square kilometers by 2018 when it was officially designated a national park. To prepare the land for large predators, authorities resettled approximately 1,650 inhabitants from 24 villages between 1998 and 2003. These residents, primarily from the Saharia tribe, lived alongside various other communities in the region.

In the 1990s, the park was identified as a prime candidate for the Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project, intended to establish a second population of lions in India. However, the state of Gujarat resisted, as it would lose its status as the only home of the Asiatic lion. Despite a 2013 Supreme Court order mandating the transfer of lions to Madhya Pradesh, the relocation never occurred. By 2022, the government pivoted to Project Cheetah, launching an action plan to introduce African cheetahs into the park instead.

The introduction of African cheetahs has faced intense scrutiny. Critics, including environmentalist Ajay Dubey, have argued that the project lacks transparency and accountability. Some conservationists maintain that the introduction of African cheetahs into the Indian ecosystem is not supported by sound conservation science. Furthermore, the park's suitability for large predators has been a long-standing concern; a 2008 survey found that the density of wild ungulates was too low to sustain a lion population at that time. Today, the park remains a complex case study in the intersection of political resistance, ecological management, and the challenges of reintroducing endangered species.

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