Bhopal, Feb 6 (PTI) Madhav National Park (MNP) in Shivpuri district will soon become the ninth tiger reserve of Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Thursday.
He made the announcement in a video message released to the media.
On December 1, the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) technical committee approved the proposal to designate Madhav National Park as a tiger reserve, an official said, adding the state government’s nod is awaited.
“At present, MNP, spread over an area of 375 square kilometres, has three tigers. Two cubs have also been spotted. Moreover, two tigers will be brought to MNP in March,” its director Uttam Sharma said.
More than 1200 square kilometres of forest area will be added to the park in order to turn into a reserve, he added.
“MP has eight tiger reserves, which is the highest for any state in the country,” wildlife expert Ajay Dube told PTI.
The eight are Kanha, Satpura, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Sanjay Dubri, Panna, Veerangana Durgavati and Ratapani.
In the first week of December, the Madhya Pradesh government notified Ratapani forest in Raisen district as the eighth tiger eight reserve.
As per the ‘Status of Tigers: Co-predators & Prey in India-2022’ report released by NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India, the tiger population in Madhya Pradesh is estimated to be 785, the highest in the country, followed by Karnataka at 563 and Uttarakhand at 560. PTI LAL BNM
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