Lion census: Gujarat Day functions may affect schedule.

Express News Service

Posted: Tuesday , Mar 09, 2010 at 0102 hrs Ahmedabad:

The state Forest department plans to prepone the census of Asiatic lions as 450 beat guards and foresters to be involved in the activity will be given the additional work during the Gujarat Day celebrations on May 1.

The census work, which was scheduled to start on April 25, is likely to begin now on April 23, said Forest Department officials.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Pradeep Khanna said that the matter is still being discussed and the official announcement about the beginning of the census work will come soon.

The In-charge Conservator of Forest, Mayank Sharma, said, “Gujarat’s pride is in the hands of people of the state. In fact, the state has succeeded in conserving Asiatic lions on its landscape because of people’s involvement. It is through the support of the people in Gujarat that the lions are still there in the three districts of Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Amreli.”

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Lion-census--Gujarat-Day-functions-may-affect-schedule/588487

Hyena dies after falling into trap.

Express News Service
Posted: Sunday , Dec 27, 2009 at 0149 hrs
Vadodara:

A hyena died after it was caught in a trap placed by farmers near Waghodia late on Thursday. Following the incident, Vadodara range forest officials have warned the villagers not to place such traps as action can be taken against them for killing a scheduled animal.

The incident occurred around 9.45 pm in Gugalpur village in Waghodia taluka when some villagers spotted a ‘tiger’-like animal caught in a trap that was laid to prevent pigs from entering farms. But animal activists have alleged that the trap was not for pigs but for the hyena only.

“We got a call from activists of Gujarat Society for Prevention of Cruelty against Animals about a hyena trapped in Gugalpur village. We reached the spot around 11 pm and found that the hyena was badly trapped and villagers had surrounded it out of curiosity. We removed the noose from around the animal’s neck, but it was severely injured by then,” said M H Baria, Range Forest Officer (Vadodara).

Senior forest officials maintained that the hyena died as a lot of people had surrounded it. “The iron noose was fatal in any case. With the people coming near, the hyena struggled to free itself, but the noose only tightened. Eventually, the animal’s throat was slit. When we reached the spot, it had bled profusely. It died by the time we reached the nearest veterinary hospital. A postmortem was conducted and the last rites performed as per rules,” said a senior forest official.

Meanwhile, the animal activists said that action should have been taken against the farmers who had placed the trap.

“The hyena is a Schedule I animal. If the Forest Department does not take action against those who had placed the trap, such incidents would continue to occur,” said Snehal Bhavsar of GSPCA, who had informed the Forest Department about the incident.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hyena-dies-after-falling-into-trap/559535/0