Eco-Sensitive Zone reduction of Gir Forest: Gujarat HC issues notice to state govt on PIL challenging proposal

According to the petition, the state in the new proposal for ESZ has reduced the area from 3,32,881 hectare to 1,14,000 hectare “which is illegal and it is undertaken to favour certain people.”

By: Express News Service | Ahmedabad | Updated: April 20, 2017 5:10 am

THE GUJARAT High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the state on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the proposal of the government reducing the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of Gir Forest and National Park, and other sanctuaries in the state drastically without any reason.
The petition moved by Biren Padhya, a resident of Ahmedabad, states the proposal of the government is likely to be culminated into a notification and if it happens, there would be irreparable loss to forest and wildlife as new heavy industries, unregulated mining, tourism and other prohibited activities would surface.
According to the petition, the state in the new proposal for ESZ has reduced the area from 3,32,881 hectare to 1,14,000 hectare “which is illegal and it is undertaken to favour certain people.” It has cited the Supreme Court order, which directed the authorities that land falling within 10 kms from boundaries of national parks and sanctuaries should be notified as ESZ.
https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8243120114635336768#editor/target=post;postID=2277066236658858611

‘Smuggling’ Asiatic lion cubs: Cab driver detained by forest officials, later released

Afzal Mugal claims he made up the story that he possessed cubs while dropping a tourist from Sasan to Diu airport

By: Express News Service | Rajkot | Updated: April 17, 2017 4:19 am

There was an input that driver Afzal Mugal had a farmhouse where a lioness had delivered two cubs. Acting on a tip-off, forest officials detained a taxi driver of Prabhas Patan over suspicion of smuggling two Asiatic lion cubs late on Saturday evening. Afzal Mugal was caught near Veraval during a check by the forest officers of Junagadh wildlife circle. After grilling him for long, he was released as the officers failed to get any concrete information about the alleged smuggling.
“There was an input that Mugal had a farmhouse where a lioness had delivered two cubs. The taxi driver had stolen them and was in process of selling the cubs to somebody in Mumbai for Rs 8 lakh. However, the driver claimed that he had ‘cooked up’ the story while dropping a tourist from Sasan to Diu airport and that he was innocent. After nothing suspicious was found, he was released,” said Aniruddh Pratap Singh, chief conservator of forests (CCF) of Junagadh wildlife circle. Forest officers said that the input had come from Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) via the state government.
“The informer had come to know about the matter while travelling in Mugal’s taxi and passed on the message to the PMO,” said a forest officer close to the development. The officer added that the informer had visited Sasan twice and went on safaris. However, he had not spotted any lion during the visits. He causally complained about it to the taxi driver while on way to Diu airport for catching a flight back home. It was during this ride that Mugal started boasting about having a farm, lions visiting them etc, said the officer. The CCF of Junagadh further said that no offence was registered against Mugal.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/smuggling-asiatic-lion-cubs-cab-driver-detained-by-forest-officials-later-released-4615959/

Eleven Lions Crossing A Highway In Gujarat Captured On Video

by SW Staff

News > India

The king of the wild may look majestic in the jungle but spotting one in an area inhabited by human beings can be wondrous. And terrifying!
However, such occurrences have become common in areas close to the Gir forest in Gujarat.

On Saturday, commuters were thrilled to witness eleven lions trying to cross the street on the Pipavav-Rajula highway in Amreli district of Gujarat. 

Here's the video captured on phone:

#WATCH Traffic halts on Pipavav-Rajula highway in Gujarat as pride of lions cross the road. pic.twitter.com/qvLF1xZsbd

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 16, 2017

As a result, traffic came to a standstill after commuters on both side of the highway halted their vehicles for the creatures to pass. Soon after, the herd of lions led by one gently crossed the highway divider to the other side of the street.
Onlookers, who quickly got off their vehicles captured this rare moment on their phones. The video has now gone viral on social media.
https://www.scoopwhoop.com/eleven-lions-crossing-a-highway-in-gujarat-captured-on-video/#.vdqt8nf2a

Suspected lion cub smuggling: Massive search launched

TNN | Updated: Apr 16, 2017, 08.12 AM IST

RAJKOT: The state forest department on Saturday launched a massive search operation in the Rajkot and other parts of Gir region following information that a lion cub was kidnapped from near Sasan.

Information that a lion cub was kidnapped and sold to a person who appeared to be from outside Gujarat pressed the panic button, said a senior forest official.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/suspected-lion-cub-smuggling-massive-search-launched/articleshow/58198040.cms

Lion cub dies at Kanpur zoo owing to respiratory failure

Abhinav Malhotra | TNN | Apr 14, 2017, 09.28 PM IST

Representative image.

KANPUR: One of the two cubs born to Asiatic lioness Nandini in Kanpur zoo on Monday night (April 10), died following multiple organ failure

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/lion-cub-dies-at-kanpur-zoo-owing-to-respiratory-failure/articleshow/58184353.cms

MP gets four lions from Assam

Four lions reached Madhya Pradesh’s Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal on Friday from Assam
Updated: Apr 14, 2017 21:03 IST Neeraj Santoshi, Hindustan Times, Bhopa

Bhopal, India - April 14, 2017: A lioness brought from Guwahati zoo at van vihar National park in Bhopal, India, on Friday, April 14, 2017.Two Lion and two lioness being brought to van Vihar. (Photo by Mujeeb Faruqui/Hindustan Times)(Mujeeb Faruqui/HT Photo) 

Bhopal: Four lions reached Madhya Pradesh’s Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal on Friday from Assam. The four big cats, including two males and two females, were brought to Bhopal by a team of nine officials in a special vehicle from Assam after travelling for nearly 75 hours. The lions were kept in the cages of Van Vihar National Park’s wildlife rescue centre.

Dr Atul Gupta , veterinary doctor at the Park, who along with eight other officials had gone to Guwahati , told HT that these tigers were in a zoo there. “There were no proper facilities there for taking care of these lions. They are also suffering from various ailments need medical attention, which we can provide them here. They will be now permanently here”, he said
This new addition has brought cheer to officials at Van Vihar National Park, which lost two lions last year. In July last year, India’s perhaps oldest lion in captivity-28 year old Ramu-died died in Van Vihar, followed by death of another elderly lion a month later. Van Vihar National Park has now seven lions, with the latest addition.

According to wildlife experts, lions in wild live up to 16 to 18 years as they mostly die in injuries following their territorial fights. But when a lion is put in captivity, they generally live long, over 20 years. One of five big cat species found in India, Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) is found in wild in Gujarat only, elsewhere they are in captivity.
MP has been trying to get lions from Gujarat. The much delayed reintroduction of Asiatic Lion to MP’s Kuno-Palpur wildlife sanctuary from Gujarat is yet to happen. Even the expert committee on translocation of lions to MP has recommended it as ideally suited for second home for lions, but Gujarat government wants that before the translocation, all the 36 studies, which have mandated under the new translocation guidelines of the IUCN issued in 2013, should be conducted to check whether Kuno was suitable for translocation or not. These studies concern issues like habitat status, prey base, vegetation cover, weather and so on.
As Asiatic lions exist only in Gir sanctuary, experts have often expressed apprehensions that high rate of inbreeding and less genetic diversity could make them susceptible to epidemics and make them extinct. In 1993, WII conducted a study to identify the best area for translocation of lions and they found Kuno-Palpur in Sheopur district, nearly 140 kms from Gwalior, most suitable. In this light, a proposal was mooted to translocate a few of the Gir lions to MP in 2000. Wildlife activist Fayaz Khudsar filed a public interest petition in the apex court in 2006 and sought translocation of Gir lions to MP. In April 2013, the apex court in a judgment directed that the lions be translocated to Kuno-Palpur in MP.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/bhopal/mp-gets-four-lions-from-assam/story-bHOTsN6ytjiE46t4kUfIGO.html

Forest guard attacked by villager in Dalkhaniya range

• TOI
• Rajkot
• Sat,15 Apr 2017
  Summary: Rajkot: A forest guard posted in Dalkhaniya Range was brutally wounded after being assaulted by a local villager at Shermardi checkpost late on Thursday night.The victim Bhanu Dagda was on duty at the checkpost when he stopped the villager Kalu Makrani from entering the forest area as the deadline to go inside was nearing completion. However, Makrani, who has a field in the protected area, got enraged and attacked Dagda with some sharp weapon. Earlier on March 6, a forest trekker Dharmendra Vala was stabbed to death during an attack on a forest patrol by seven men when he stopped them from watching an illegal lion show on the fringes of Gir forest in Amreli district. "Dagda has received deep cuts on his face and admitted to the Amreli Civil Hospital. A police complaint has also been lodged against Makrani," said AP Singh, chief conservator of forests.Makrani has also been booked under atrocities act and the investigation has been handed over to the deputy superintendent of police rank officer.This is the second attack on on-field staff of the forest department staff in the last 45 days.
  https://www.nyoooz.com/news/rajkot/784080/forest-guard-attacked-by-villager-in-dalkhaniya-range/

Asiatic lion pair in Pune zoo has a family

The animals have been adopted by KK Travels and the family members were related to Kedar Kasar, the owner of KK Travels.

Written by Garima Mishra | Pune | Published:April 10, 2017 2:14 am

Barely three months ago, a pair of pure Asiatic lions — Tejas and Subhi — were brought to the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, also known as Katraj Zoo. Within their short stay at the zoo, the lions have even managed to find a family who has adopted them under the animal adoption scheme. On Sunday morning, nearly 20 members of the city-based Kasar family could be seen thronging around the lions’ enclosure, introducing themselves as their “aai”, “brother”, “sister”, “maami”, “kaka” etc. The animals have been adopted by KK Travels and the family members were related to Kedar Kasar, the owner of KK Travels.
KK Travels has adopted the pair for a period of one year by paying Rs four lakh under the animal adoption scheme.

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/asiatic-lion-pair-in-pune-zoo-has-a-family-4606797/