Kanha National Park: Barasingha Comeback

Location and Designation History

Kanha National Park lies in Madhya Pradesh, in the Maikal Hills of the Satpura range. It’s split across Mandla and Balaghat districts. It was declared a reserve forest in 1879, a wildlife sanctuary in 1933, and a national park on 1 June 1955. On 1 April 1973, Kanha became one of the original nine reserves named under Project Tiger. Its core zone covers 940 sq km. A further 1,067 sq km buffer zone surrounds it.

• A watershed role: Kanha’s forests feed several small rivers. These join larger river systems in central India, supporting agriculture downstream too.
• A plateau setting: much of Kanha sits on a plateau, with meadows and sal forest across gently rolling terrain.
• Two forest types: sal forest dominates the lower elevations. Mixed forest and bamboo cover higher ground. That’s an unusually varied habitat for its size.

The Hard-Ground Barasingha

Kanha is the only home of the hard-ground barasingha. This swamp-deer subspecies is adapted to firm meadows, not wetlands. Its population fell to just 66 animals by 1970. It has since recovered to over 1,000. The recovery came through habitat protection, and by relocating villages out of the core zone. Kanha’s barasingha recovery is often cited internationally as a model for single-species conservation.

• Still vulnerable: despite this recovery, the hard-ground barasingha remains one of India’s rarest deer subspecies, with a small total population.
• Other wildlife: leopards, sloth bears, dholes (Asiatic wild dogs), gaur, chital, and sambar, plus about 300 recorded bird species.
• Kanha meadow: a large open grassland, one of the park’s most iconic and photographed features, drawing wildlife to its streams and waterholes especially in the dry season.

A Mascot, a Scientific Name, and a Displacement

Kanha was the first tiger reserve in India to adopt an official mascot: Bhoorsingh the Barasingha. Starting in 1968, dozens of villages were relocated out of Kanha’s core zone. Many belonged to the Baiga tribal community. This relocation aided wildlife recovery. But it also meant real disruption for the displaced communities’ traditional way of life. Debates over displacement versus conservation, first raised here, still shape how India plans new protected areas today.

• Visitor numbers: Kanha received over 2.1 lakh visitors in 2022, one of India’s most visited tiger reserves.
• Safari zones: Kisli, Mukki, Kanha, and Sarhi are the main zones, each offering different terrain. Like most reserves, Kanha closes during part of the monsoon.
• Gateway city: Jabalpur, the nearest major city, serves as the usual access point for visitors.

The Jungle Book Connection, Examined

Kanha is popularly linked to Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book,” though the connection is disputed. Kipling never visited India’s central forests. He set his story near Seoni, close to today’s Pench National Park, not Kanha. Even so, the Jungle Book association has become a lasting part of Kanha’s tourism branding. Most visitors still arrive expecting a direct connection.

A Canine Distemper Outbreak

A tigress and her four cubs died at Kanha Tiger Reserve in late April 2026. A sixth death followed on 20 May 2026. All were suspected linked to a Canine Distemper Virus outbreak. Forensic testing at Jabalpur’s School of Wildlife Forensics and Health confirmed Canine Distemper caused the deaths. Following the outbreak, an extensive vaccination campaign covered hundreds of stray and pet dogs, and thousands of cattle, across nearly 90 villages around the reserve.