Sat Nov 02 2013, 03:54 hrs
Buttresting the claim of Gujarat government that lions are expanding
their home range, two male lions were reportedly sighted in Jasdan
taluka of Rajkot district, around 100 km away from Gir forests in Amreli
district on Friday. The two lions raided one Lakhu Bharwad's enclosure
of cows in Dolatpara village, some 35 km south of Jasdan and preyed on
four cows at around 4 am, Jasdan Range Forest Officer (RFO) Mahendrasinh
Vaishnav said. "A farm labourer of the village claimed to have seen the
two big cats. Pug marks also suggest that the cats were lions,"
Vaishnav further said.
Incidentally, the same lions had reportedly been camping in
Gondal taluka for the past week. Gondal is also more than 50 km away
from Gir forest, the only natural habitat of the endangered Asiatic
lions, in Amreli and Junagadh districts.
"They are the same two sub-adult male lions which were reported
in the neighbouring Gondal taluka. Our rescue team is following their
movement to prevent any untoward incident," Sandeep Kumar, Deputy
Conservator of Forest (wildlife division, Sasan Gir), said. He denied
media reports that the forest officers were trying to guide the lions
back to Gir forest. "This is a natural procedure of lions for
establishing their new territories. We shall not trap and bring them to
the rescue centre in Sasan. Since Jasdan has some grassland, it is
possible the two might stay as prey will be available there," Kumar
said.
Besides numerous patches of social forestry, Hingolgadh Nature
Education Sanctuary, is also located in Jasdan. The sanctuary is home to
blue bulls, Indian gazelle and ungulates which are prey of lions. The
sighting of the two lions in Jusdan underpins the claim of officers of
the State Forest Department that the big cats are winning their
territory back and need not be translocated for better survival of the
species.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gir-lions-expand-home-range-two-spotted-in-rajkot-taluka/1190250/
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