Karauli, Rajasthan: Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary is an important potential recovery area for tigers in western India, with its forests offering scope to strengthen conservation beyond Ranthambhore’s better-known tiger habitat. WWF-India identifies the sanctuary among the landscape’s key sites for tiger recovery, alongside other protected areas in Rajasthan and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
Its long-term contribution will depend on restoring habitat, improving wild prey populations and protecting the connections that allow tigers to move safely between forests.
A Significant Extension of the Ranthambhore Landscape
Located in Rajasthan’s Karauli district, Kailadevi covers approximately 673 square kilometres and forms the northern part of the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve landscape. Its rugged terrain includes parallel ridges, deep gorges, dry deciduous forests, scrub and grasslands.
Dhonk is the dominant tree species. Alongside tigers, the sanctuary supports wildlife including leopards, sloth bears, striped hyenas, Indian wolves, sambar, nilgai and chinkara.
Forest Connections Are Essential for Recovery
WWF-India’s earlier field research documented tigers dispersing from Ranthambhore into surrounding habitats, including Kailadevi. One tiger recorded in Kailadevi in late 2014 was subsequently photographed in Kuno in 2015, demonstrating the importance of connections across the wider landscape.
Such movements show why conservation planning must extend beyond individual protected areas. Maintaining usable habitat between forests can help dispersing animals reach new territories and support the development of connected tiger populations.
Habitat Restoration and Wild Prey Remain Priorities
Rajasthan’s tiger conservation planning documents identify heavy grazing pressure, degraded grasslands and low prey density as challenges in Kailadevi. These conditions limit the sanctuary’s ability to sustain large predators.
The proposed management approach includes habitat restoration, soil and moisture conservation and prey-base improvement. Research by Tiger Watch has also identified livestock grazing and wood extraction as major pressures on the sanctuary.
Together, these findings indicate that available forest area alone cannot ensure tiger recovery: habitat quality and sufficient wild prey are equally important.
Local Communities Are Central to Long-Term Success
People living in and around Kailadevi depend on the landscape for grazing and other livelihood needs. Conservation measures therefore need to address these dependencies while reducing pressure on wildlife habitat.
WWF-India’s wider regional approach combines wildlife monitoring, habitat restoration and corridor protection with community livelihoods and local institutions. For Kailadevi, sustained work on these fronts could help translate its recovery potential into a more secure future for tigers and other wildlife.
Sources: WWF-India’s Western India Conservation programme and earlier landscape research; Rajasthan Forest Department’s tiger conservation plan; Tiger Watch; published ecological research.
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