Excerpts From The Supreme Court’s Judgment Ordering The Translocation Of Lions From Gujarat To Madhya Pradesh
APPLICATION FOR INTERVENTION IS ALLOWED
We have been called upon to decide the necessity of a second home for Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica), an endangered species, for its long term survival and to protect the species from extinction as issue rooted on eco-centrism, which supports the protection of all wildlife forms, not just those which are of instrumental value to humans but those which have intrinsic worth.
Gadgets Used On Gir Lions To Track Big Cats In Mangroves
The forest department has decided to radio-collar ten tigers in the Sunderbans where population dynam ics of the big cats has al ways remained a mystery. And this time, an advanced set of radio collars, which helped scientists track tigers in Nepal and lions in Gir, will be used in the mangroves.
Ninety-two Asiatic lions have died, including 83 of natural death, in the past two years in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region while there has been no case of poaching.
AHMEDABAD: Not just humans, even animals prefer flowing water. The drought-like situation in the Gir area has shown that water holes filled by wind or solar powered pumps attract more animals than those artificially filled by tankers.
Officials said stagnant water is less preferred. At a watering spot with flowing water, not just Asiatic lions, even chital, sambar and other wild animals are seen more frequently.
Rarely human communities coexist in harmony with large predators. Most often communities suffer due to predation on their stock while large carnivores suffer losses and at times extirpation due to retaliation.
Ahmedabad: Gir is facing a problem of plenty because against the population of 121 lionesses, it has the capacity to hold only 76 breeding lionesses within the forest area.
The study revealed that the average territory size of a breeding group of lionesses was about 33 sq km. Going by these statistics, Gir Protected Area could support about 58 breeding units having a density of about three breeding groups per 100 sq km.
Habitat Helps Wild Cats In Their Bid To Stay Away From Humans
Ahmedabad: Contrary to the popular belief that lions prefer savanna grassland, the king of the jungle here in Gir National Park likes moist shady habitats instead. Main reason is that there are several human eyes keeping a watch on him. The human activities in the form of livestock grazing, collection of fodder and fuel wood is what is harassing the Asiatic lions in its last abode; Gir National Park. This is forcing the creature to spend the entire day in moist and shady habitats which provide them respite from such human interference.
Rajkot: Wildlife activists have demanded a ban on illegal lion shows in Amreli district on the outskirts of Gujarat’s Gir sanctuary, where cattle is set as bait for Asiatic lions to entertain touri
New Delhi: Countering Gujarat’s opposition to lion translocation project, the Madhya Pradesh government told the Supreme Court that a second habitat for Asiatic Lions in Kuno — cleared by National Board of Wildlife — was mandatory to avoid Tanzania’s disastrous experience in Serengeti where an epidemic outbreak almost wiped out the entire lion population.
Madhya Pradesh met with disdain Gujarat’s apprehension about safety of lions. The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government did not deny the past lapses allowing poachers to wipe out the entire tiger population in Panna, but said the new model of wildlife protection had got it laurels from many quarters and its efforts were being replicated by other states.
