Madhya Pradesh

• 13 Mar 2025

Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary

Why in News? 

 In Madhya Pradesh, Indian wolves will be fitted with radio collars, which will help in researching their habitat, diet and behaviour. 

Key Points  

• About 
  • Three wolves from different packs in the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary will be fitted with radio collars once permission is received from the National Tiger Conservation Authority. 
  • For this, a two-year study was started by the State Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur in February 2024 . 
• Objective: 
  • The aim of this research is to know about the life of wolves, their food, habitat, daily routine and co-existence with animals like tigers and leopards. 
• Status of wolves in Madhya Pradesh: 
  • In 2022, wolves were counted across the country, in which Madhya Pradesh ranked first with the highest number of wolves.  
  • According to the census, there were a total of 3170 wolves in India, out of which 20% i.e. 772 wolves were found in Madhya Pradesh alone.  
•   Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary:  
  • Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary is  the largest wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh . 
  • This sanctuary is spread over an area of about 1197 square km in three districts of Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, Damoh and Narsinghpur. 
  • This protected area is located on the banks of two major river basins of India, the Narmada and the Ganges . 
  • It is the natural habitat of the Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes), a subspecies of the grey wolf.  
    • In the year 1975, it was given the status of the state's largest sanctuary for the conservation of wolves. 
  • Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary is also considered a suitable area for cheetahs , hence it was given the status of Tiger Reserve a year ago.  

National Tiger Conservation Authority 

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change . 
• It was established in the year 2006 by amending the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The first meeting of the Authority was held in November 2006. 
• It is the result of the efforts of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) that there has been a significant increase in the number of endangered tigers in the country.