Kanpur: Preparations are underway at Lion Safari in Etawah to provide a
conducive environment for mating of two pairs of Asiatic Lions. A forest
team has been sent by experts to Gir Forest in Gujarat for training.
The team will learn ways to take care of cubs.
Authorities at the Lion Safari meanwhile have started making efforts to
increase population of endangered species of lion. "Mating between Manan
and Kumari had already taken place. Now, we are in the process of
pairing Kuber and Greeshma and Gigo and Heer, the other two pairs of
Asiatic Lions, and are hoping the females will mate with their resident
males," said Divisional Forest Officer, Lion Safari, Etawah.
The Lion Safari authorities also exude confidence about lioness Kumari,
and said they hope that the population of big cat is all set to grow by
March 2015. "If Kumari gets pregnant, then we expect it to give birth to
its cub in March 2015," informed a Lion Safari official further.
The news of pairing between Manan and Kumari has thrilled the state
forest department, which received a major jolt after the death of Vishnu
and Lakshmi (a pair of Asiatic lions) recently.
"We have
started monitoring these wild cats and has asked keepers and
veterinarians to be extra vigilant," informed KK Singh, director Lion
Safari. Taking no chance, the Lion Safari authorities have permitted
entry to the `house' only to the keepers who are monitoring each
activity of the Kumari, sources in the Lion Safari said. It is a
positive news for us after the death of Vishnu and Lakshmi. "During
pregnancy, female moves slowly. We are tracking its movements on regular
basis to confirm its pregnancy," said another forest department
official.
But the authorities said that they know
there's a lot that could go wrong. "Even if the birth itself goes
smoothly, we do not know how lion or lioness will react to their
offspring. Some lions don't react well. Keeping this in mind, we hope,
the team, which has been sent to Gir Forest to learn all the hand
rearing skills so that they can properly nurture them and take good care
of cubs."
Listed as endangered on the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo
persica) was once widely distributed across southwest Asia.
*Some 150.83 hectares of land in Fisher Reserve Forest area on
Etawah-Gwalior National Highway was acquired and notified as lion safari
in the year 2005.
*It was shelved by the Mayawati
government in 2007. It was again revived after Samajwadi Party came back
to power in March 2012.
*The Union ministry of environment and forests approved the master layout plan of the project in December 2012.
*The state government had sanctioned Rs 89 crore for the Lion Safari
project and authorised the Uttar Pradesh Awas Vikas Parishad for
construction and execution of the safari.
*Four pairs
of Asiatic Lions have already been brought to Lucknow Zoo and Kanpur Zoo
from Hyderabad zoo and Rajkot and Sakkarbaug zoos in Gujarat.
*Vishnu and Lakshmi, one of the four pairs brought from Hyderabad zoo,
died recently after coming in contact with serious disease.
*June 2015 has been set as a deadline for the construction work regarding the project.
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