15% decline in Ungulate population in Gir Sanctuary

Himanshu Kaushik | TNN | Sep 29, 2016, 03.42 PM IST
AHMEDABAD: For the first time in past decade, the ungulate population in Gir Sanctuary has registered a decline of around 15%. This is the first time that the herbivorous count has gone down. The department after four months has once again decided to carry out the census of sambhar and other ungulate in Gir forest.

A senior official in the department said that the summer census which was conducted in May this year has revealed that the population of herbivorous had gone down below 65,000 from the earlier 75,000. This was the sharpest decline in the last decade.

A senior officer said that the count which was taken in May this year has not been enumerated till now nor had the report being sent to the department. Usually, the department takes two count one each in May and other count during the winter and the report is sent to the higher officers within a fortnight.

"The department had not been able to come to a conclusion as the count has gone down by nearly 15%," said a senior officer who was part of the count. The officer said that the count of sambar and that of spotted dear had registered a decline. However, another officer who was part of the count said "the decline is because the method of enumeration."
Principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) JA Khan said "we are yet to receive the report as the final count has not been calculated and hence it would be too early to comment on the decline."


Chief conservator of forest Junagadh R L Meena says "this count is the internal count for the consumption of the department, the census is held every five years and the same was conducted in 2015. However, we are again conducting the census for a couple of species in the forest including Sambhar as there has been a sharp decline in their numbers."

However, experts feel that a decline in the ungulate within the sanctuary would result in more and more lions going out of the sanctuary and moving outside the forest area. The census 2015 has revealed that there were over 160 odd lions outside the protected sanctuary which at present are over 250. The officials said that around 40 odd lions from Gir sanctuary have moved out of the sanctuary due to monsoon and lack of prey base.

HS Singh, a lion expert said that "I feel that with the population of livestock increasing within the sanctuary, there cannot be an increase in the ungulate population. However, a decline in the population of ungulate can result in big cats going out of the sanctuary in search of food."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/15-decline-in-Ungulate-population-in-Gir-Sanctuary/articleshow/54583140.cms

Lions to roar in Vibrant Gujarat

Kapil Dave & Kalpesh Damor | TNN | Updated: Sep 28, 2016, 10.40 AM IST
AHMEDABAD: Not just investments and business, the next edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit will also be looking at fostering cultural co-operation. To begin with, Gujarat and Kenya will work jointly in lion conservation and promotion of wildlife tourism focused on big cats.

The possibility of cooperation was discussed during a recent visit of Vibrant Gujarat delegation to Kenya. "We decided to formally share best practices in lion conservation, including scientific study of both Asiatic and African lions.Kenya has good wildlife focused tourism model, which we can also adopt," said N Srivastava, managing director, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TGCL), who was also part of the delegation to Kenya.

"Gujarat and Kenya or Africa for that matter, have two major connecting dots. One is lions and other Gujaratis settled in African nations. We met top government officials of Kenya, who look after lion conservation and wildlife tourism.Here in Gujarat we also focus heavily on conservation of lions. So we discussed possibility of mutual co-operation centered on lions," he added.

Experts in tourism opine that both Gujarat and Kenya can learn from each other in the field of wildlife. Kenya has developed lions safari in such a way that it ensures safety of lions. The African nation has used latest technology to protect the natural habitats. This can be emulated by Gujarat.

The population of lions in Africa, including Kenya, is dwindling with the entire continent left with 20,000 to 30,000 as per different sources including International Union for Conservation of Nature. Kenya has 2,000 majestic cats. Gujarat has done well in lion conservation with population rising to 523 as per census 2015.

The state government may also sign an MoU with Kenya for conservation initiatives during the summit in January 2017. Probably , it will be the first cultural tie-up at the summit.

"Our focus will be on cultural exchange and knowledge sharing about lions," said Srivastava, who is also a senior Indian Forest Service officer. "Such co-operation will boost wild-life tourism and create awareness about it," said Manish Sharmahttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Lions-to-roar-in-Vibrant-Gujarat/articleshow/54558137.cms

6 National Parks Around India You Have To Visit At Least Once In Your Life

Tanya Sirohi

September 19, 2016
AHMEDABAD: Not just investments and business, the next edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit will also be looking at fostering cultural co-operation. To begin with, Gujarat and Kenya will work jointly in lion conservation and promotion of wildlife tourism focused on big cats.

The possibility of cooperation was discussed during a recent visit of Vibrant Gujarat delegation to Kenya. "We decided to formally share best practices in lion conservation, including scientific study of both Asiatic and African lions.Kenya has good wildlife focused tourism model, which we can also adopt," said N Srivastava, managing director, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TGCL), who was also part of the delegation to Kenya.

"Gujarat and Kenya or Africa for that matter, have two major connecting dots. One is lions and other Gujaratis settled in African nations. We met top government officials of Kenya, who look after lion conservation and wildlife tourism.Here in Gujarat we also focus heavily on conservation of lions. So we discussed possibility of mutual co-operation centered on lions," he added.

Experts in tourism opine that both Gujarat and Kenya can learn from each other in the field of wildlife. Kenya has developed lions safari in such a way that it ensures safety of lions. The African nation has used latest technology to protect the natural habitats. This can be emulated by Gujarat.

The population of lions in Africa, including Kenya, is dwindling with the entire continent left with 20,000 to 30,000 as per different sources including International Union for Conservation of Nature. Kenya has 2,000 majestic cats. Gujarat has done well in lion conservation with population rising to 523 as per census 2015.

The state government may also sign an MoU with Kenya for conservation initiatives during the summit in January 2017. Probably , it will be the first cultural tie-up at the summit.

"Our focus will be on cultural exchange and knowledge sharing about lions," said Srivastava, who is also a senior Indian Forest Service officer. "Such co-operation will boost wild-life tourism and create awareness about it," said Manish Sharma

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Lions-to-roar-in-Vibrant-Gujarat/articleshow/54558137.cms

Gujarat: Mutilated carcass of leopard found in Tilakwada

Officials said that the female leopard could have possibly been prey to a “black magic” ritual, as its front paws were severed from the body and the nails found missing.

By: Express News Service | Vadodara | Published:September 27, 2016 1:27 am

The Narmada forest department is investigating the mysterious killing of a female leopard in Tilakwada taluka of the district. The mutilated body of the leopard was discovered late on Sunday in a forest, with a noose around its neck.
On Monday, the forest department consigned the leopard’s carcass to flames as per the procedure of disposing of dead animals. It has also registered a case of animal atrocity and killing.
Officials said that the female leopard could have possibly been prey to a “black magic” ritual, as its front paws were severed from the body and the nails found missing.
An official said, “The autopsy was conducted on the leopard and it appears to be a torturous killing of the animal. While the body is mutilated — front paws and nails missing, there are visible injury marks and the leopard was also found with a metal wire around its neck, which means it was killed by strangulation. It is possible that the perpetrators could have held the animal by the neck before maiming while it was alive.”
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mutilated-carcass-of-leopard-found-in-tilakwada-3051725/

Awareness drive to check increase in human-leopard conflicts in south Gujarat

(Representative image)

Melvyn Reggie Thomas | TNN | Sep 10, 2016, 12.47 PM IST
SURAT: Nature Club Surat, a city-based organization working for environment and animal rescue, has kick-started a human-leopard conflict management programme in Surat district in association with forest department to spread awareness among villagers on the dos and don'ts for reducing man-animal conflicts.

A few villages have been selected under the programme where man-animal conflicts are on the rise. The programme will be extended to the interior villages in Bharuch and Dang district in the coming months.

The programme is being held under the guidance of Vidya Athreya, a well-known leopard expert. As per Athreya's recent research, leopards have adopted agricultural landscape due to easy availability of food, water and hiding place. Translocation of leopards is increasing conflict.

When a leopard is rescued from a certain village and released in forest, the vacant place is filled up by another leopard. The leopard which was released at a totally new place may create conflict situations. Leopards are scared of humans and they only attack them if left with no other option.

This year, more than 25 cases of human-leopard conflicts were registered from across south Gujarat, without any casualty though. In almost 75 per cent cases, the conflicts occurred when humans and leopards came face to face, especially in sugarcane fields.

"The leopard population is increasing in south Gujarat. In many villages, there is no conflict at all between human and leopards. It is only when the leopards are translocated that they attack humans sensing trouble," Nature Club Surat activist Kaushal Mody said.

Nature Club Surat has also started camera trapping of leopards in some villages near Kosamba and Kim. The high resolution infrared cameras have been fitted to monitor the trail of leopards.

Nature Club Surat's Snehal Patel said, "The programme is to make villagers aware about leopards and their behaviour. We are distributing pamphlets and showing them video footages of leopards to teach them about precautions to reduce conflicts."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/Awareness-drive-to-check-increase-in-human-leopard-conflicts-in-south-Gujarat/articleshow/54263376.cms

35% leopard and sloth bear population close to human habitation

File photo

Himanshu Kaushik | Sep 16, 2016, 06.02 PM IST

AHMEDABAD: The census of sloth bears and leopard conducted in May this year has revealed that there are around 35-40% of the leopards and sloth bears in the areas close to human habitations than in the forests. According to the senior officials in the state forest department, which had taken the count in May this year, reveals that more leopards and sloth bear which have made revenue areas — the areas away from jungles close to human habitations — as their homes rather than safe and protected environment of forests.

Census estimation by the forest department pegs a 70% rise in leopards' count in human settlements near cities and big towns of Gujarat. The leopard census 2011 revealed 1,160 big cats in the state, out of which 290 or a quarter were spotted in human settlements. Census estimates taken up between May 20-22, peg a 70% rise in this number. The number of leopards, according to the May census, was over 1,400, but the officials said that around 500-odd leopards were in the human settlements. The officials said that number of animals in the state is likely to increase by around 20%, taking the bear population to approximately 350. The 2011 census had shown that 297 sloth bears lived in the state. Of these, over 100 are estimated to be living close to human habitats.

The officials said that while it was the search of small animals like dogs which was leading leopards out, in the case of sloth bears it was the illegal honey combing by humans and increasing human pressure which were driving them out of the sanctuaries. A similar trend was noticed in sloth bears where there was more sighting outside the protected areas than the sanctuaries. The sudden spurt in the number of leopards and sloth bears outside the sanctuaries spells possibility of more incidents of man-animal conflicts in the future. Currently, on an average one leopard attack takes place once in three days in the state. In 2015-16, 12 persons had been killed and 107 attacked by the leopards.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/35-leopard-and-sloth-bear-population-close-to-human-habitation/articleshow/54365126.cms

Leopards, sloth bears feel at home near humans: Census

TNN | Sep 9, 2016, 07.57 AM IST
AHMEDABAD: The census of leopards and sloth bears conducted in May this year has revealed that there are more leopards which have made revenue areas - the areas away from jungles close to human habitations - as their homes rather than safe and protected environment of forests.

According to the senior officials in the state forest department, which had taken the count in May this year, there were around 35-40% of the leopards and sloth bears in the areas close to human habitations than in the forests.
Quest for food is bringing leopards dangerously close to humans. Census estimation by the forest department pegs a 70% rise in leopards' count in human settlements near cities and big towns of Gujarat. The leopard census 2011 revealed 1,160 big cats in the state, out of which 290 or a quarter were spotted in human settlements. Census estimates taken up between May 20-22, peg a 70% rise in this number. The number of leopards, according to the May census, was over 1,400, but the officials said that around 500-odd leopards were in the human settlements.

A similar trend was noticed in sloth bears where there was more sighting outside the protected areas than the sanctuaries. The sudden spurt in the number of leopards and sloth bears outside the sanctuaries spells possibility of more incidents of man-animal conflicts in the future. Currently, on an average one leopard attack takes place once in three days in the state. In 2015-16, 12 persons had been killed and 107 attacked by the leopards.

The officials said that number of animals in the state is likely to increase by around 20%, taking the bear population to approximately 350. The 2011 census had shown that 297 sloth bears lived in the state. Of these, over 100 are estimated to be living close to human habitats.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Leopards-sloth-bears-feel-at-home-near-humans-Census/articleshow/54205417.cms

This Sasan vet injects life into sick lions

Vijaysinh Parmar | TNN | Sep 28, 2016, 10.12 AM IST

Dr Solanki tranquillizing a lioness in Gir.

SASAN GIR: Dr DP Solanki had his heart in the mouth when an ill Asiatic lion he was trying to tranquilize suddenly charged at him last year. In a bid to escape the assault, he even suffered a fracture and was advised complete rest for three months.

This scary experience, however, did not deter this 28-year-old veterinary doctor of Sasan Rescue Centre. In fact, for the last five years, Dr Solanki has been the most crucial member of the forest teams in Sasan, which conduct nearly 300 operations of rescue ill or trapped wild animals every year. Often, Dr Solanki is seen venturing into farm wells, some that are nearly 80 feet deep, to rescue trapped animals, mostly wild ones.

While it is an amusing sight for villagers seeing him get into the well inside a 'parrot cage', the risk is always high.

"In 2013, we received a rescue call from Ghusiya village where a lion had fallen into an 80 feet deep well. We were unsure whether it was ill or injured. So, we first need to tranquilize him for physical examination.So, I sat inside the parrot cage that was pushed into the deep well slowly by the other staff. I fired one shot to tranquilize the lion," recalled Solanki.

"However, I soon started feeling severely out of breath but was pulled out in time by other members," he said. The lion was later released into the wild after inserting a micro chip in its body . "To my surprise and joy, I rescued the same lion in February near Devaliya,'' Solanki said.

Talking about the lion attack in Gir west, Solanki said, " As soon as I fired the tranquillizer at the lion, he got charged up and rushed to chase me. I fell down and suffered fracture," he said, adding it takes at least 15 minutes for the animals to get fully tranquillized.

Solanki is credited with having conducted at least 500 post-mortems of wild animals, mostly lions and leopards in the last five years, considered the highest in the country by a veterinary doctor. "Despite permanent risk of attacks or injuries during rescue operations, I love this job as it gives immense satisfaction of helping our wildlife flourish," Solanki said.

After working on ad hoc basis for one year in 2010 at Sasan, he left the job to take the Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC) examination for veterinary doctor.He was selected in the animal husbandry department but the forest department sought his service.

Ram Ratan Nalla, deputy conservator of forests, Sasan Gir, wildlife division, "Conducting over 500 postmortem is in itself a remarkable achievement for this young veterinary . It is not an easy job as the area of rescue is vast and the risk of working amid carnivoures. All rescue calls have to be responded promptly so that the wild animals don't die and get treatment in time."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/This-Sasan-vet-injects-life-into-sick-lions/articleshow/54557806.cms

Gujarat: Kamleshwar Dam inside Gir forest develops minor breach

The dam is the largest in Gir forest and a major lifeline for flora and fauna of the local ecology.
By: Express News Service | Rajkot | Updated: September 25, 2016 1:08 am

Water leaks from Kamleshwar dam, inside Gir forest on Friday. (Express Photo)

Water started leaking from Kamleshwar dam, a major reservoir inside the famous Gir forest which is the only natural habitat of endangered Asiatic lions, after its releasing head-work developed a minor breach on Friday.
Gir Somnath district collector Ajay Kumar said the breach was reported on Friday morning. “We were informed about the breach in the morning. It is a very minor breach in the structure called release head-work from which water is released in irrigation canal. A team of experts from Gandhinagar has reached the dam site and they are working to plug the leakage. By evening, around 30 per cent of leakage was plugged. The operation to repair the breach will continue overnight and we are confident the leakage will be stopped by Saturday afternoon, ” the collector told The Indian Express late on Friday evening.
Kamleshwar dam is located in western part of Gir forest. It falls in Talala taluka of Gir Somnath district. The dam is the largest in Gir forest and a major lifeline for flora and fauna of the local ecology. It also provides irrigation water to many villages in Talala taluka.
However, the leakage comes at a particularly bad time. Rains have not been good in that part of the state this monsoon and the collector said that the dam was filled only around 30 percent.
The dam is also home to hundreds of marsh crocodiles. It is also a major tourist attraction. It is located inside tourism zone of Gir forest and tourists going on lion safaris inside Gir forest from Sasan pass on the bunk of the dam. Downstream the dam is the scenic valley of Hiran river.
Gir forest and other protected areas spread over Gir Somnath, Jinagadh, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts in Saurashtra region is the only natural home of Asiatic lions in the world. In fact this region is the only place outside Africa where a subpopulation of wild lions is living.
The collector said the administration was aware of the importance of the reservoir and was sparing no effort to plug the leakage at the earliest.

© The Indian Express Online Media Pvt Ltd
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/gujarat-kamleshwar-dam-inside-gir-forest-develops-minor-breach-3047025/

Python dies after swallowing nilgai

Sep 22, 2016, 02.00 AM ISTBiting off more than it could chew cost a 20-foot python its life in Junagadh district. The python died on Tuesday after swallowing a blue bull ('nilgai') at Baliavad village near Gir wildlife sanctuary, a Gujarat forest department official said. Villagers found the python lying on the road, its belly distended beyond normal capacity, and apparently struggling to digest the animal it had swallowed.

"Forest officials were informed and they rushed to the site to ascertain its condition," Deputy Conservator of Forest R Senthilkumaran said on Wednesday. "It succumbed to the internal injuries caused by the (swallowing of) blue bull," he said. Pythons swallow their prey whole, and take several days or even weeks to fully digest it. They are known to prey on animals much larger in size. After eating, a python can go several weeks, if not months, without needing to feed again. Herpetologist and retired Vadodara Zoo Inspector, Raju Vyas said, "The python must have swallowed the juvenile Blue bull whole.

Usually a python can easily consume such prey, but they take around 24 to 48 hours to digest it. If it is disturbed during this period by other predators or humans, the python will vomit its prey. In the process of the python may get injured by the hooves of its prey. Many times it has been observed that after the python or any other snake, swallows it prey, it becomes inactive for a while. They resort to vomiting the prey out only to escape any possible threat." Vyas remembers an incident in Chhota Udaipur where a python had swallowed a goat, "The python was disturbed after it swallowed the goat, so it tried to vomit it out.

However, while vomiting the python ended up tearing its belly. The same python was treated at our zoo and it survived after treatments. Sometimes people out of curiosity go very close to the reptile to see how it feeds on such large prey and end up disturbing it." Environmentalists confirm that Gir forest houses many large pythons which are not commonly found in urban areas. AP Singh, chief conservator of Forest, wildlife circle, Sardar Baug, Junagadh said, "It was dead when our team brought the python. The python's prey weighed around 15-20 kgs. It looked like the python had swallowed baby Bluebull (nilgai) and it could not digest it. Pythons of this size are a rare find. It was certainly a very large reptile. It is unfortunate that it died like this."
http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/ahmedabad/others/Python-dies-after-swallowing-nilgai/articleshow/54452200.cms

Two lionesses spotted strolling on village streets in Gujarat

ANI  |  Gir Somnath (Gujarat) [India]  September 18, 2016 Last Updated at 08:42 IST
Two Asiatic lionesses were spotted walking on the streets of Gujarat' Gir- Somnath district recently. The wild animals had strayed into the residential area and were seen chasing cattle in a video captured on Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras.
The Chief Conservator of Forest, R.L. Meena, said that the lion population has spiked recently, increasing chances of these big cats straying into human settlements.

"Lately, the population of lions in the Gir forest has increased and there are chances that these wild animals may enter into human settlements and kill some livestock. But we always try to reach the location on time. We also provide compensation for loss of cattle to the people," he said.
Meanwhile, panic has gripped the area after news of the unexpected visitors spread.
The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica), also known as the Indian lion or Persian lion, is a lion sub-species that exists as a single population in Gujarat. Some Asiatic lions also live in zoos. It is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN due to its small population size. Since 2010, the lion population in the Gir Forest National Park has steadily increased. In May 2015, the 14th Asiatic Lion Census was conducted over an area of about 20,000 square kilometers. The lion population then was estimated at 523, comprising of 109 adult males, 201 adult females and 213 cubs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/two-lionesses-spotted-strolling-on-village-streets-in-gujarat-116091800058_1.html