36 quarantined lions may never be freed in the wild

Himanshu Kaushik | TNN | Updated: Jun 11, 2019, 8:26 IST
SASAN GIR: The 36 Asiatic lions that have been quarantined for eight months following the canine distemper virus (CDV) outbreak will never be released into the wild, according to forest department officials.
Apparently, department's experts believe these big cats can contract the disease again and become carriers of the virus thus putting other lions at risk. Therefore, in the first week of May, the state forest department decided to indefinitely extend captivity of the lions.
However, Y V Jhala, a lion expert from the Wildlife Institute of India, said, "All the 36 Asiatic lions are immune to CDV as they have been vaccinated, and hence the fear that they may become agents for another round of CDV outbreak is unwarranted." Jhala added, "I don't see any reason why they should be kept in confinement."
Release of lions: Forest department to take a call
"We are not aware about the government's decision, nor have they contacted us," he said. The CDV outbreak had occurred between September last week and October first week in 2018 leading to deaths of 29 lions. Soon after the outbreak, these 36 Asiatic lions from Sarasia Virdi and Semadi Naka in Dhalkhaniya Range were quarantined and put in special enclosures in Devalia and Sakarbaugh interpretation parks .
Additional chief secretary environment and forest, Rajiv Gupta, told TOI, "Right now, all the 36 lions are at various interpretation zones. They have been vaccinated and remain healthy. Whether these animals are to be released into the wild or not is a call forest officials have to take."
A senior expert said, "These lions are now used to easy food. Once they are released, their immunity may drop again, as they may not hunt much and be vulnerable to CDV. This will put other lions in proximity to them at risk."
He also warned that the lions may even turn into man-eaters if they starve.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/36-quarantined-lions-may-never-be-freed-in-the-wild/articleshow/69733949.cms