Tigers, gaurs, wild canines: Inside Madhya Pradesh’s wildlife swap plan with Andhra | India Information
3 min learnBhopalJun 20, 2026 07:00 AM IST
Madhya Pradesh might quickly ship tigers and gaurs to Andhra Pradesh underneath an inter-state wildlife alternate programme, with the southern state anticipated to supply wild canines and different species in return, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav introduced throughout a evaluation assembly of the Forest Division.
The proposal marks the most recent step in Madhya Pradesh’s rising function as a supply inhabitants for giant carnivore conservation programmes throughout India. Officers mentioned Andhra Pradesh has approached the state searching for tigers and gaurs, and the Chief Minister directed the Forest Division to provoke the method.
The transfer comes as Madhya Pradesh continues to carry the nation’s largest tiger inhabitants and has more and more emerged as a donor state for wildlife translocation initiatives. In latest months, the state has accredited the relocation of tigers to Rajasthan, Odisha and Chhattisgarh to strengthen tiger populations in reserves with decrease densities. Earlier this yr, a tigress from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve was shifted to Rajasthan’s Mukundra Tiger Reserve as a part of a inhabitants administration train.
Officers haven’t but disclosed what number of tigers Andhra Pradesh has sought, the reserves from which the animals could also be sourced, or the timeline for the switch.
On the assembly, Yadav mentioned the “state ought to transfer forward with offering tigers and gaurs to Andhra Pradesh whereas exploring the opportunity of bringing wild canines and different wildlife species from the state”.
CM’s wildlife initiatives
Since taking workplace, Chief Minister Yadav has introduced or backed a collection of wildlife translocation and species restoration initiatives in Madhya Pradesh.
The state has begun bringing wild buffalo from Assam to Kanha Tiger Reserve, the place the species had disappeared many years in the past. The continued cheetah programme, which began with animals introduced from Namibia and South Africa, can also be being expanded, with officers planning to launch cheetahs in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and develop Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve because the third cheetah web site. Yadav mentioned Madhya Pradesh would additionally search to acquire the Nice Indian Bustards from Rajasthan for launch in Ghatigaon and Gandhi Sagar.
Asiatic wild canine
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The dhole (Alpine cuon), also called the Asiatic wild canine, has lengthy been current in Madhya Pradesh’s central Indian forests, significantly in Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Pench tiger reserves. Categorized as Endangered by the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species survives in fragmented populations throughout South and Southeast Asia. In recent times, forest officers in Madhya Pradesh have recorded a collection of notable sightings exterior the species’ better-known strongholds. In December 2025, two dholes had been formally documented for the primary time in Kheoni Wildlife Sanctuary in Dewas district, a area the place the species had not beforehand been recorded. A month later, digicam traps captured a dhole in Ratapani Tiger Reserve close to Bhopalmarking the reserve’s first confirmed file of the species.
Forest officers mentioned the sightings had been important as a result of the dholes require wholesome prey populations and enormous related forest habitats. In Could 2025, a pack of greater than 20 dholes was additionally reported from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve after a niche of practically two years.
