Activists Raise Pitch Against Shifting Of Gir Lions To MP
Himanshu Kaushik | TNN
Gandhinagar: Even as the standing committee of National Board for Wildlife prepares to discuss the issue of translocation of Asiatic lions from Gir forest to Kuno in Madhya Pradesh (MP), on Wednesday, non-governmental organisations and wildlife activists from Gujarat have launched a campaign to prevent it.
Gandhinagar: The issue of shifting of big cats from Sasan Gir to Kuno Palpur in Madhya Pradesh has once again come into focus with standing committee of National Board for Wildlife to take up the matter on September 16.
Himanshu Kaushik, TNN 10 September 2009, 02:43am IST
AHMEDABAD: Lions were earlier confined to the area in and around Sasan and Dhari, but of late large prides have been spotted in Bhavnagar
district, especially in Mahuva, Palitana and Talaja. And such sightings are growing with alarming regularity.
Mahuva (Bhavnagar): Big cat fear gripped Bila village of Mahuva taluka, where two persons, including a forester, were mauled on Wednesday by a lion that strayed into a farm.
This incident has created panic in the village. Farmers are now scared to venture into farms even though government provides additional power supply for irrigation at night.
Gandhinagar: With Union minister of state (independent charge) for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh planning to visit Gujarat, especially Gir Sanctuary, forest department officials here are working overtime to showcase conservation of the Asiatic Lion in the state.
After being the only state with lions, Gujarat may also get tigers. Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has written to Gujarat proposing that tigers be translocated to the state. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has been asked to conduct a technical study on this.
GANDHINAGAR: The state government admitted in the Assembly on Wednesday that only 291 of the 359 lions in Gir were in the protected sanctuary area. Replying to a question by Karjan MLA Chandu Dabhi, the government said as per the last census conducted in 2005, there were 68 adult lions, 100 female lions and 123 cubs within the protected Gir Sanctuary.
GANDHINAGAR: Special task force formed by state government after 2007 poaching incidents has suggested that apart from use of GPS-based tracking and other modern surveillance systems, establishment of gene pool population and a genetic laboratory for cryopreservation of genetic material is needed to save lions.
