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IANS |
Lucknow Last Updated at December 30, 2017 19:35 IST
The Nawab Wajid Ali Shah zoo here lost one of its oldest inmates - an Asiatic lion on Saturday, officials said.
The 21-year-old lion, named Prince, was not keeping well for sometime.
Its death came as a blow to the zoo authorities as only a month back,
white tiger Aryan had also passed away.
"Prince was not keeping well for sometime now and had developed some infections. We tried out best but could not save him," said a zoo official.
All zoo keepers and attendants bid a tearful adieu to the lion. The big
cat's personal keeper Mubarak Ali, moved to tears, called it an
"irreparable loss".
--IANS
md/vd
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In 2014, the state forest department had proposed to convert the
animal rescue centre, spread over five acres at the Nahargarh Park, into
a wolf breeding centre to augment the wolf population.
Figures obtained from the forest department show that the
wolf population in Rajasthan has come from 924 in 2011 to 892 in 2016.
(HT Photo)
As the
wolf population in Rajasthan dwindle, a proposal to establish a wolf
breeding centre at Nahargarh Biological Park, Jaipur, has failed to take
off more than three years after the project was conceived.
In
2014, the state forest department had proposed to convert the animal
rescue centre, spread over five acres at the Nahargarh Park, into a wolf
breeding centre to augment the wolf population.
In the past, the
wildlife authorities in Rajasthan have used wolves in exchange
programmes and brought other wildlife animals like panther, lion and
bear from other states.
Figures obtained from the forest
department show that the wolf population in Rajasthan has come from 924
in 2011 to 892 in 2016. The population of wolves in Jaipur region has
come down from 99 to 82 in the same period. What is more worrying is
that during the 2016 census, no wolves were sighted in large parts of
the state, including Alwar, Churu, Dausa, Bikaner, Jaisalmer,
Pratapgarh, Dungarpur and Sri Ganganagar districts.
“The
proposal to establish a breeding centre at Nahargarh is pending with
the Central Zoo Authority of India,” assistant conservator of forest
(Nahargarh Biological Park) Jagdish Chand Gupta said.
Ever since
the park was inaugurated last year, most animals from the old Jaipur zoo
have been relocated to Nahargarh. A few animals left at the old zoo,
including wolves and deer, will also be relocated. In mid-2017, the
death of six wolves at Nahargarh park over a two-month period had set
the alarm bells ringing; however, no deaths have been reported recently.
Nahargarh
Biological Park, a part of the Nahargarh sanctuary is located about 12
km from Jaipur on the Jaipur-Delhi highway. Spanning across 720
hectares, it is famous for its rich flora and fauna and doubles up as a
place for education and research. It is home to more than 285 species of
birds and houses animals like Asiatic lions, Bengal tigers, panthers,
hyenas, wolves, deer, crocodiles, sloth bear and wild boar. http://www.hindustantimes.com/jaipur/proposed-wolf-breeding-centre-at-nahargarh-hanging-fire-for-3-years/story-QeKJ9mGXrBFHBHdSXDPqaJ.html
Published:
22:01 GMT, 27 December 2017
| Updated:
23:40 GMT, 27 December 2017
The lions at London Zoo are part of a breeding programme in which 70 per cent of cubs are dying, a study has found.
The lions are all descended from a very small number of ‘founders’ brought over to Europe in the 1990s.
But
the ‘extremely high degree of genetic similarity’ of the founders’
offspring is ‘detrimental’ to their health, according to researchers.
Lions at London Zoo are at risk as they are part of a breeding programme in which 70 per cent of cubs are dying
The European Endangered breeding programme was set up to save the Asiatic lion in the mid-1990s.
The idea was to have a pool of pure Asiatic lions that could be reintroduced to India if the species became locally extinct.
Nine
founder lions were brought to Europe, of which four went to London Zoo,
while the rest went to Helsinki and Zurich zoos. And even these
‘founders’ were already highly related – with six of the lions sharing
the same grandparents.
In December 2009 the EEP population
of Asian lions had risen to 93 individuals across 34 zoos. But the study
found 68.4 per cent of cubs from this family were dying at birth or
shortly afterwards.
Some 57 lions were
born between 2007 and 2009. Of these 39 died after birth, of which 35
died within 20 days, three within two months and one was euthanased at
four years old.
The report in the
journal Mammalian Biology said the breeding programme at the zoo was
‘not viable’ long term. There are currently four lions at London Zoo. Dr
Paul O’Donoghue, one of the report’s authors, said the high number of
deaths called into question the zoos’ lion conservation programme.
The Land of the Lion enclosure in London Zoo is designed to like an Indian village where the animals live in the wild
The
geneticist at the University of Chester said: ‘Sixty per cent of lion
cubs [are dying]. There are situations where they’ve bred the
grandfathers with the granddaughters. This shows that the concept that
zoos are conservation tools is completely false. This research blows
that idea apart.’
The report said the death rate was much too high considering the lions had access to top grade veterinary care.
There were 523 Asiatic lions in the wild at the last count – a species much rarer than the better known African lion.
The
EEP lions are so closely related, the report said, that further matings
were not advisable. It suggested new lions from India need to be added
to the breeding programme to ensure the ‘long-term viability of the
offspring’.
Malcolm Fitzpatrick,
curator of mammals for ZSL (Zoological Society of London) said: ‘We
welcome this study and the advancements in science that will assist in
the conservation breeding of Asiatic lions and other endangered species
in zoos throughout Europe and India.
‘[It] may also assist with management of isolated populations in the wild that themselves have limited genetic variability.’
By Express News Service |
Published: 28th December 2017 02:25 AM |
File photo of Ranitha, the Asiatic lioness at Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens
MYSURU: IN what may hit the breeding
of endangered species of Asiatic lions for sometime, an asiatic lioness
died at Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, popularly known as Mysuru
Zoo, on Wednesday. Ranitha, the big cat aged seven and half years, was
found injured on right and left shoulders, after a fight with her
companion Shourya on October 26. Following this, it had stopped taking
food.
Veterinarians collected blood samples and found that the animal was
also suffering from generalised infection. Even after the treatment was
launched, the animal did not show any improvement, besides going off the
feed. Blood samples were collected again along with samples of swab,
lacrimal and nasal that were sent to Centre for Cellular and Molecular
Biology, Hyderabad. The report is awaited. Zoo executive director C
Ravishankar said the incident occurred a day after they were released
for mating in the off-exhibited area. The animal was brought from
Sakkarbaugh Zoo in Junagadh, Gujarat, a year ago in October, under an
animal exchange programme.
While the female was brought from Sakkarbaugh, there were also plans
to bring a male from Rajkot Zoo 10 months ago. It was intended at
breeding endangered species at the menagerie. A pair of lion had been
brought from Sakkarbaugh five years ago. Gowri, the lioness, delivered a
cub after sometime which did not survive. Following the death of
Ranitha, the zoo has been left with four lions- Shourya and Gauri both
pure bred Asiatic species and Rakshita and Darshan, the cross bred
animals. http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2017/dec/28/asiatic-lioness-dies-in-mysuru-city-zoo-1738537.html
The lion cub being treated by veterinary doctor
Rajkot: A two-month-old lion cub that had developed blisters on its
body was treated by forest officials on Thursday night in Goba village
of Savarkundla forest division in Amreli district.
The cub was first spotted by a villager, who informed the forest
officials. However, it took forest officials couple of days to track
down the cub. They found three cubs with two lioness in the farm of Dilu
Khuman in Goba village of Savarkundla taluka. The forest officials had a
tough time separating the cub from its mother for treatment.
Deputy conservator of forest, Gir (East), T Karuppasamy told TOI,
"After 4-5 days we were able to separate the injured cub from the
mother. The blisters on the cub were naturally caused due to some
infection."
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/2-month-old-lion-cub-treated-for-blisters-released-into-forest/articleshow/62212918.cms
The
Kankaria zoo got two new guests on Friday: Shreya, an Asiatic lioness,
and a white Bengal tigress who is still to be named. The animals, both
aged around three-and-ahalf years, have been brought from Rajkot zoo as
part of Central Zoo Authority’s exchange project. Kankaria zoo has given
74 birds and reptiles including four Indian rock pythons, two Indian
cobras, four rosy pelicans to the Rajkot zoo. Zoo superintendent RK
Sahoosaid, “We have a pair of Asiatic lions (Ambar and Janki) and a pair
of tigers (Pratap and Ananya). We will breed the new tigress with
Pratap as he is a white gene carrier. We will also breed Ambar with
Shreya for lion cubs.” http://ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad/others/get-up-claws-with-kankaria-zoos-new-attractions/articleshow/62214385.cms
One of the large cats preying on the cow in the village on Tuesday
Rajkot: Nearly 10 lions trespassed the Rampar village of Talala taluka
in Gir-Somnath district on Tuesday and preyed on a cow triggering panic
among villagers.
According to villagers, it was a pride of lion which included a few
cubs that were seen moving around in the village during the night.
They had first entered the mango orchard which is 3km from Rampara
village. Eyewitnesses said that a couple of wild cats stopped at the
entrance while others entered the village.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/lions-prey-on-cow-in-gir-somnath-village/articleshow/62184076.cms
Conservationists
believe that fewer than 50 of these 'big cats' remain in existence –
all in Iran. The problem is compounded by the Iranian government cutting
the budget of its department of the environment, which has
responsibility for protecting the country’s threatened animals.
The United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) swept in to absorb the Asiatic cheetah
conservation project. But, Anne Marie Carlsen, UNDP deputy resident
representative recently announced that Iran will be required to reassume
conservatorship, since the organization would not be extending its
support beyond Dec.
“Lack of funding means extinction for the Asiatic cheetah, I’m afraid,” Iranian conservationist Jamshid Parchizadeh said.
In 2014, the Iranian
national football team brought attention to the cheetahs by adding
images of the animal to their World Cup and Asian Cup kits. Also, August
31, 2017, was declared national Cheetah Day.
“Iran has already
suffered from the loss of the Asiatic lion and the Caspian tiger. Now we
are about to see the Asiatic cheetah go extinct as well,” Parchizadeh
added.
Asiatic cheetahs,
which have a fawn-colored coat, black spots on its head and neck and
distinctive black 'tear marks,' are slightly smaller and paler than its
African cousin.
“There were three
main protected areas in which we used to find cheetahs,” according to
Urs Breitenmoser of the Cat Specialist Group.
“There are now none
left in the western area, at Kavir, while in the southern region the
animals are too thinly spread for enough to meet and breed. Only in the
north, around Touran and Miandasht, are there any signs that there are
enough cheetahs to maintain a population.”
The animals inhabited
several Asian countries. In India, the cats were extinct as a result of
being hunted for sport as well as farmers.
“There have been all
sorts of threats to the Asiatic cheetah,” conservation biologist Sam
Williams, of South Africa's University of Venda, said. “For example,
they are hunted and killed by local herders – of sheep and goats –
because cheetahs will occasionally kill and eat one of their animals.”
“Iran has faced heavy
international economic sanctions since 1980, and international agencies
have been encountering a lot of problems transferring money into the
country for many years,” said Williams. “The crucial point is that that
money could have been used for the implementation of conservation
strategies.”
In
a joint letter to Nature, Parchizadeh and Williams warned that without
the UNDP’s support, there is little hope for the Asiatic cheetah.
“Management of the
project will now fall mainly to Iran’s department of the environment,
the head of which has declared the cheetah ‘doomed to extinction’ on the
basis of its declining numbers since 2001. We urge Iran’s government
not to give up on cheetah conservation,” the letter read.
Iran’s Department of
Environment (DOE) has presented a $375,000 budget proposal to Budget and
Planning Organization for Asiatic cheetah conservation plans.
Cheetahs are the fastest land animals on Earth.
https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Less-Than-50-Asiatic-Cheetahs-Left-in-Iran-Conservations-20171218-0005.html
AHMEDABAD: A lioness entered Khamba village near Gir forest on Sunday
morning and attacked three villagers, while they were working in the
field. After injuring two, it dragged a third to the outskirts of the
village in Visavadar leaving him seriously injured. The victims of the
lion attack are being treated at Civil Hospital in Amreli.
Forest officials said that two of the victims had received most
injuries on legs, while one was seriously injured. The injured are
Rajbha Jhala, 25, Vallabh Butani, 55, and Jenti Kapuriya, 45. Jhala was
dragged by the lioness to the village outskirts. Two of the three are
farmers and one a cowherd.
After the incident, senior forest officials and trackers have been
camping in the area to cage the lioness and release it later into the
wild far from human habitation. Forest officials said that somehow the
lioness was irritated and thus attacked the villagers. After the attack,
the two injured in the fields were immediately attended by emergency
services and villagers, while the third victim was traced to a small
culvert nearby, where he was battling for his life. The rescuers found
the lioness perched on a small mound around 500 metres from the victim.
Ultimately, 108-EMRI staff and villagers managed to drive off the
lioness, rescue the victim and send him to Junagadh.
108-EMRI officials said they had received the rescue call at 9.08am and a team including Sahil Ratapiya, Sohil Dhaduk and Bharat Jhala
had reached the spot. Villagers informed them of the third victim who
was seriously injured and lying near the outskirts of the village.
"When the 108-staff reached the spot, they found that the lioness was
sitting on the boundary wall and the victim was lying about 500 metres
from it. Since the area was not motorable the staff had to go on foot
risking attack. Along with the villagers, they drove off the lioness
with loud noises. The victims were shifted to Civil Hospital in Amreli,"
said Chetan Gaadhe, district officer, Amreli, of 108-EMRI.
He added that one of the injured had told 108-staff that they had been working in the field when the lioness attacked.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/lioness-mauls-3-in-a-village/articleshow/62110775.cms
With UN funds being cut this month, conservationists call for last-ditch effort to save animal which clings on only in Iran
Conservationists have warned that the Asiatic cheetah is on the
threshold of extinction following a UN decision to pull funding from
conservation efforts to protect it. Fewer than 50 of the critically endangered carnivores are thought to be left in the wild – all of them in Iran
– and scientists fear that without urgent intervention there is little
chance of saving one of the planet’s most distinctive and graceful
hunters. “Lack of funding means extinction for the Asiatic cheetah, I’m
afraid,” the Iranian conservationist Jamshid Parchizadeh said. “Iran has
already suffered from the loss of the Asiatic lion and the Caspian tiger. Now we are about to see the Asiatic cheetah go extinct as well.” The Asiatic cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, is slightly
smaller and paler than its African cousin. It has a fawn-coloured coat
with black spots on its head and neck, and distinctive black “tear
marks” running from the corner of each eye down the side of its nose. Cheetahs – both African and Asian – are the fastest land animals on
Earth, using their speed to bring down antelope, gazelle and other
moderately large prey. Asiatic cheetahs were once widespread across the
continent but were eradicated in India, where they were hunted for
sport. The spread of farming also greatly reduced numbers in the 19th
and 20th centuries.
Eventually the animal was wiped out in all the nations of Asia to
which it was once native – with the exception of a few areas of Iran.
Conservationists have battled to keep numbers stable in these areas.
They have faced severe problems, however.
“There have been all sorts of threats to the Asiatic cheetah,” said
the conservation biologist Sam Williams of the University of Venda, in
South Africa, who is an expert on large carnivores. “For example, they
are hunted and killed by local herders – of sheep and goats – because
cheetahs will occasionally kill and eat one of their animals.”
In some cases, farmers hunt cheetahs with dogs. Alternatively, they
may use traps. In addition, the animals are known to roam over
considerable areas of Iran and cross highways, where they are run over.
Dozens have been killed despite signs being erected along the sides of
roads, highlighting the risk. The opening up of new mining operations
has also restricted their territories.
A cheetah lies dead on the side of the road in Iran. Many
animals are killed, despite signs warning drivers. Photograph: M. A.
Adibi
In recent years several measures have been introduced to help raise
awareness of the cheetah’s plight. In 2014, the Iranian national
football team announced that their World Cup and Asian Cup kits would be
printed with pictures of the Asiatic cheetah. In addition, a
crowdfunding conservation project was set up, and this year 31 August
was declared national Cheetah Day.
Despite
this, the animal’s decline has continued. “There were three main
protected areas in which we used to find cheetahs,” said Urs
Breitenmoser, of the Cat Specialist Group, based in Bern, Switzerland.
“There are now none left in the western area, at Kavir, while in the
southern region the animals are too thinly spread for enough to meet and
breed. Only in the north, around Touran and Miandasht, are there any
signs that there are enough cheetahs to maintain a population. Implementing measures to protect these last vestiges of cheetah
territory has proved extremely difficult. “Iran has faced heavy
international economic sanctions since 1980, and international agencies
have been encountering a lot of problems transferring money into the
country for many years,” said Williams. “The crucial point is that that
money could have been used for the implementation of conservation
strategies.”
This problem has been compounded by cuts made by the Iranian
government to the budget of its department of the environment, which has
responsibility for protecting the country’s threatened animals.
Fortunately, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) was able to support the Asiatic cheetah
conservation project, because as a UN agency it was able to get money
into Iran relatively easily. “Its aid was crucial,” said Williams.
But now that last piece of support has disappeared because the agency
has had to make major cuts in its budgets. Last month Anne Marie
Carlsen, the programme’s deputy resident representative in Iran,
announced that the organisation would not be extending its support for
the cheetah project after December and said that Iran should now run the
project single-handedly.
A UNDP spokesman told the Observer that the agency had
committed around $800,000 to the cheetah project over the past few
years. “The conservation of the Asiatic cheetah project was established
in 2001 to save it from extinction. As a result of the project, we now
have a better understanding of how many Asiatic cheetah are left and
have increased the number of protected areas where they live. We have
got the communities involved in the project.
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“The
second phase of the project, which commenced in 2009, is scheduled to
end December 2017. Unfortunately, due to budget challenges, UNDP is
unable to extend the project beyond this time.”
Parchizadeh and Williams, in a joint letter to the journal Nature
this month, warn that without the agency’s support, there is little
hope for the Asiatic cheetah. “Management of the project will now fall
mainly to Iran’s department of the environment, the head of which has
declared the cheetah ‘doomed to extinction’ on the basis of its
declining numbers since 2001. We urge Iran’s government not to give up
on cheetah conservation,” they write.
This point was endorsed by Breitenmoser. “We need to give as much
support as we can to Iran. Every other country in which the Asiatic
cheetah once roamed allowed it to disappear. Iran managed to save it –
until now. So we need to get international agencies to get help to the
country’s conservationists as soon as possible.
“The alternative is straightforward. Unless something is done within
the next couple of years, it will not be possible to save the Asiatic
cheetah. It is now five minutes to midnight for the species. Soon it
will be midnight – and extinction.”
Asia and Africa
Compared with its Asiatic cousin, the African cheetah – the most
widespread subspecies of cheetah - is in relatively good health. It
still faces major problems, however.
It is reckoned that there are around 7,000 in the wild and, according to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, its status is classified as “vulnerable”.
Many scientists and conservationists believe this categorisation is
in fact incorrect and that the pressures placed on the animal mean its
status should be rated as endangered.
In some regions, young cheetahs are caught and sold as pets, and the
animal is hunted by farmers, who see it as a threat to livestock. It is
estimated that its population plummeted by more than 90% during the 20th
century.
Even when protected inside game parks, cheetahs face a struggle to
survive. They can be bullied into the margins by lions, which are far
stronger both in body and number.
Code of conduct in Gujarat, and fresh requests needed in case of new govt, delays long-pending acquisition
It
could be another year before the Sanjay Gandhi National Park gets a new
lion from Gujarat. Thanks to the code of conduct in place in Gujarat,
authorities from the Sakkarbaug zoo have said they cannot respond to the
request letter from SGNP authorities. The SGNP authorities have
been requesting Gujarat for a year now.
Speaking to mid-day, an official from SGNP, who did not wished to be
named, said, "For over a year, we have been constantly following up with
the Sakkarbaug zoo as we want to exchange two Rusty Spotted Cats with a
lion, but something or the other seemed to happen and now not only has
the director of the zoo been transferred but the election code of
conduct is in place in Gujarat, so we are unable to get in touch with
the authorities."
Under the circumstances, SGNP may also have to send a fresh proposal
for the same. The other major hurdle is that the authorities will have
to wait till the new chief minister is sworn in after government
formation. "The Sakkarbaug zoo authorities had told us earlier, too,
that the final proposal would have to be cleared by the chief minister,"
another official said.
Currently, there are three Asiatic lions at SGNP, which includes the old lion Ravindra and two young lions named Jespa and Gopa. As
Jespa and Gopa are siblings, mating between the two is neither allowed
nor encouraged because of chances of genetic issues occurring. SGNP
director Anwar Ahmed was unavailable for comment.
KOLAKATA: Visitors to Alipore zoo
will get to see the new guests — four grey kangaroos, a pair each of
jaguars and Asiatic lions and six mouse deer — from Friday. According to
a senior zoo official, state forest minister Binoy Burman and urban development minister Firhad Hakim will inaugurate the newly-constructed enclosures of kangaroo, lion, jaguar, leopard and mouse deer on Thursday morning.
Zoo director Asis Kumar Samanta said: "Since the zoo remains closed on
Thursdays, the visitors will get to see the new animals from Friday."
Four grey kangaroos, a gift from Yokohama zoo, had arrived in the city
on October 26 and have been kept in quarantine since then. Their
enclosure is spread over almost two acres. The last kangaroo in Alipore
zoo, a red one, had died in October 2015.
"Two of them — a male and a female — are each a year old. The second
male is two while the other female is aged 10 months," said a zoo
official. The grey kangaroo is the fastest of all kangaroos, reaching a
speed of up to 70kmph.
The visitors will also get to see jaguars in the zoo after a gap of
four years. A pair had arrived from the Hyderabad zoo on October 29,
along with a pair of pure Asiatic lions and six mouse deer, under an
animal exchange programme.
Gujarat government has been opposing the proposed shifting of lions
for long and it has led to a legal tussle too. The Supreme Court order
in 2013 was in favour of shifting of some of lions to Kuno-Palpur.
Updated: Dec 07, 2017 13:47 IST
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Bhopal
HT FILE PHOTO
As
translocation of lions from Gir in Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh doesn’t
seem possible despite the Supreme Court’s order to the effect
Kuno-Palpur wildlife sanctuary to which the Asiatic lions were to be
shifted, will be used as a habitat of tigers from different parts of
Madhya Pradesh.
A decision was taken in this regard by Madhya
Pradesh Wildlife Board at its meeting chaired by chief minister Shivraj
Singh Chouhan on Tuesday.
Proposed translocation of Gir lions to
Kuno-Palpur is a part of an Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project
initiated by central government’s Wildlife Institute of India in 1995.
The project was aimed at protecting the lions from the threat of
epidemic, natural disasters etc and thus create another sanctuary for
them. Kuno-Palpur was considered as a suitable sanctuary for the same.
However,
Gujarat government has been opposing the proposed shifting of lions for
long and it has led to a legal tussle too. The Supreme Court order in
2013 was in favour of shifting of some of lions to Kuno-Palpur. However,
the shifting continues to be delayed on some ground or the other.
As
per official spokesperson, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
instructed the authorities concerned at the wildlife board meeting on
Tuesday to shift tigers to Kuno Palpur from other parts of Madhya
Pradesh.
Talking
to the Hindustan Times principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife)
Jiendra Agrawal said, “We will identify the tigers who have strayed out
of their habitat and shift them to the Kuno-Palpur after tranquilising
them. This is a routine exercise for us. We will manage it will.”
As
per the government spokesperson the meeting also took a decision on a
long-term plan to conserve forest and promote the wildlife. Under the
plan, 5% of the amount ‘obtained from non-forest work under state’s
protected areas will be deposited in Tiger Foundation Society’. The
amount would be spent on conservation of forest and promotion of
wildlife.
CM said at the meeting, “A long term plan should be made
to increase the number of tigers and leopards in state. Stern action
should be taken in incidents of illegal hunting of tigers and death of
tigers due to electrocution. Forest department should consider tiger
conservation with integrity. Efforts should be made to stop loss of life
due to their entry in residential areas. Efforts should be made to
increase grassland for conservation of Kharmore and Son Chiraiyya.”
An
approval was also granted to construct speed breakers in the areas
identified to avoid injuries to loss of life of animals in road
accidents.
Bhopal: With Gujarat
persistently refusing to allow translocation of lions from Gir National
Park to MP’s Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary, the state government has
decided to populate the sanctuary with tigers. The decision was taken at
a meeting of MP Wildlife Board presided over by chief minister Shivraj
Singh Chouhan on Tuesday.
Tigers cannot be translocated without
the permission of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Sources
said that the wildlife board has decided to go ahead with the decision
without NTCA nod. Despite the Supreme Court ordering shifting of lions
from Gir to Kuno-Palpur, the Gujarat government is not ready to part
with its lions. The state government has not approached SC with a
contempt petition in the matter. The SC has issued notices to union
government and Gujarat government on a petition filed by wildlife
activist Ajay Dubey. The petition has yet to come up for hearing. Madhya
Pradesh has been trying to shift Gir lions to the state since long.
As chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra
Modi had refused to allow translocation of lions. After Modi becoming
the Prime Minister, the state government put the issue on the
backburner. The government has spent millions on developing Kuno-Palpur
for the lions. Many villages were relocated from inside the park. http://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/bhopal-sick-of-waiting-state-decides-to-populate-palpur-with-tigers/1182436
After nearly two-decades of unsuccessful tussle with Gujarat over
translocation of Gir lions to Kuno-Palpur sanctuary near Sheopur, Madhya
Pradesh government on Tuesday unofficially gave up hope on the project.
A Supreme Court order mandating the translocation of Asiatic lions
from Gir sanctuary to Kuno-Palpur in MP could not move the Gujarat
government from parting with the big cat.
Diluting its claim on the programme, MP government decided to release
and rehabilitate tigers in the Kuno-Palpur sanctuary which they claim is
ready.
"As the Kuno-Palpur sanctuary is ready to rehabilitate the big cats,
we will now release tigers in the park," announced chief minister
Shivraj Singh Chouhan during State Wildlife Board meeting, hinting at a
possible failure in getting the Asiatic lions from neighbouring state.
Chouhan's decision came in the view of the delay by the Gujarat
government. Both the states are BJP-ruled and Gujarat government
considered the lions as 'heritage of the state'. The leaders had also
maintained that a decision of handing over lions would turn into a big
political issue in Gujarat.
"A writ petition was filed in 1995 by the Centre for Environment Law and World Wildlife Fund India
(WWF-I) in the Supreme Court to get the Gujarat government release 19
Asiatic lions for the Kuno-Palpur wildlife sanctuary. The Supreme Court
fast-tracked the case and delivered a judgement on April 16, 2013,
permitting the reintroduction of lions to Kuno, over-ruling the
objections of the Gujarat government. But, the order is yet to be
complied," said a senior officer of MP Wildlife.
By Medha Dutta | Express News Service |
Published: 02nd December 2017 10:00 PM |
In the tiny town of Kesaria in
the East Champaran district lies the tallest Buddhist monument in the
world, The six-storeyed stupa
Bihar is known for its Buddhist pilgrimage sites. The renowned
Vaishali is where Gautama Buddha preached his last sermon in 483 BCE. In
383 BCE the Second Buddhist Council was convened here by King Kalasoka.
It also contains one of the best-preserved Pillars of Asoka with a
single Asiatic lion.
But there is more to Bihar and its connection with Buddhist history than
the world famous Vaishali. And, on a wintry afternoon in November, we
set out from my hometown Muzaffarpur to unravel history lost in the
pages of time. A close-up of the stupa
After a drive of about 1.5 hours, we
reached Kesaria—an insignificant, tiny town in the district of East
Champaran. The non-descript place boasts the tallest stupa in the world,
built by the Mauryan king Asoka.
After crossing the town—which ends even before it begins—you find
yourself on a lonely meandering highway with no sight of life. Suddenly
to your left you notice half-excavated remains of definitely one of the
largest stupas one can set eyes on.
The place looks forlorn. Shod of any
touristy trappings, it longs for attention. There is a makeshift
boundary wall encircling the entire area—the land within generously
donated at some point by a local politician.
It is believed that it was here that
Buddha in his last days donated his begging bowl. On a good day, the
stupa manages to get a handful of tourists—mostly Buddhist monks on a
pilgrimage. But there are more bad days than the good ones. On such
days, the stupa lies silent with all its mysteries hidden within.
The Kesaria stupa has a circumference of
almost 1,400 ft (430 m) and rises to a height of about 104 ft (32 m).
It is one-feet taller than the Borobodur stupa in Java, which was
recognised by the UNESCO as the tallest Buddhist monument in the world.
Idol of Buddha
The stupa was discovered in 1958 during
an excavation led by archaeologist KK Muhammed of the Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI). It dates between 200 AD and 750 AD.
According to the ASI, the original
height of the stupa was 150 ft. However, continuous erosion reduced it
to 123 ft. But that was not all that the stupa suffered. The devastating
earthquake of 1934, which rocked North Bihar, further reduced its
height.
Once you approach the stupa, you can
distinctly see six floors. On each floor at regular intervals there are
many idols of Buddha in Bhoomi Sparsa Mudra and other sitting positions.
There is also a terrace with Pradakshina Path.
The excavation has led to finding of
numerous objects such as coins, arrow heads, copper and terracotta
items, and many more. The ‘officials’, manning the one-room reception at
the gate of the relic, claimed that a whole lot of gold utensils found
at the site have mysteriously ‘vanished’.
It was also a surprise to see a few men
in khaki around. The cops said that at times smugglers visit in the
guise of foreign tourists and take away Buddha idols. So these brave men
were guarding the site with three age-old rusted rifles slung on their
shoulders.
The excavation has come to a standstill
for lack of funds. It is claimed that another five floors are yet to be
unearthed. Whether that will be done any time soon is anybody’s guess.
Also, for how long can those outdated guns protect the heritage remains
to be seen. Needless to add, one must hurry and visit before it is lost
forever.
Tracing The Origin
■ Ancient Kesaria was called Kesaputta and was ruled by Kalamas
■ Alara Kalama, the teacher of Buddha before enlightenment, is said to belong to Kesaputta
■ According to Jataka stories, Buddha ruled this place as a Chakravart in Raja in his previous birth
■ It was during one of his visits to Kesaputta that Buddha gave one of
his most important discourses, the celebrated Kessaputtiya Sutta
■ Kesaria stupa is believed to have been built to honour the place where
Buddha spent the last days of his journey, before attaining Nirvana
■ It gained its present structure in the Maurya, Sunga and Kushana period
■ Huien Tsang mentions having seen the grand stupa in Kia-shi-po-lo (Kesaria), but it was deserted and vegetation had overgrown
Factfile
Getting there: You can get regular
flights to Patna airport, which is 92 km from Kesariya. Chakia is the
nearest railway station—19 km. The town is well-connected to major
cities via buses.
Best time to visit: October-March.
Bharat Yagnik and Peter Nazareth | TNN | Nov 24, 2017, 07:02 IST
TALALA (Junagadh): Located about 50km from the fishing port of Veraval in Gir-Somnath district,
Talala is home to the king of beasts and the king of fruits. It lies at
the southern edge of the Gir forest - the last abode of the Asiatic
lion - and is famous for its kesar mango, considered the best variety of the fruit by Gujaratis.
The Talala Agricultural Produce Market Committee
(APMC) did business of 10,670 metric tonnes of kesar this season. "Some
310 tonnes was exported to US and Europe. Export grade fruit fetches
about Rs 445 per 10-kg box, while the rest fetches an average of Rs
265," said H H Jarsaniya, the Talala APMC secretary. While some
venturesome lions often seek shelter in the vast mango orchards, Talala
is the biggest market for kesar mangoes.
Talala seat has about 2.07 lakh voters in 104 villages spread along a
100km long strip. According to Govind Parmar, the BJP MLA from Talala,
the seat has 35,000 Kolis, 32,000 Karadia Rajputs, 27,000 Patidars,
25,000 Ahirs and other smaller caste groups. Parmar is a Karadia Rajput,
a community at odds with the state BJP president Jitu Vaghani over a
land dispute case in Bhavnagar.
Congress's ex-MP Jashubhai Barad, an Ahir, had won the seat in 2012,
defeating Parmar by 1,478 votes. In May 2016, Parmar won the by-election
necessitated by Barad's death. Parmar is contesting the 2017 election,
pitted against Congress nominee Bhagwan Barad, who had defeated Parmar
by 5,632 votes in 2007.
The Congress and BJP have 13 members each in the 28-member Gir-Somnath
district panchayat. The BJP is rules the panchayat with support from
the two independents. The Congress rules the Talala taluka panchayat
with 14 members while the BJP has four.
In 2015, an agitation bubbled up in the area against a state
government notification that declared 121 villages within 10km of the
Gir sanctuary periphery an eco-sensitive zone. The notification barred
new construction, including pucca residential houses, bore wells or
roadside eateries.
Pravin Ram, president of the Gujarat Jan Adhikar Manch, said, "The
eco-sensitive zone regulations are a black law for the people of this
area and this is why farmers have joined the cause. Farmers want lions
to come to their fields - they protect crops from neelgai and wild boar -
but the government in the name of lion conservation is doing injustice
to farmers."
While the enforcement of the new law is still sketchy, farmers feel
they are exposing them to harassment by forest department. Punjabhai
Patat of Gunsiya village says, "There is a question mark over our
existence here. We can't put up shelters in our fields for labourers or
to keep cattle. Our principal crops are sugarcane, groundnut, wheat,
bajra and jowar. We are now being told to grow only crops which allow
wild animals to be visible. That rules out most crops other than mango."
Others are up in arms about what they say is the arbitrary
notification of the buffer zone. Chhaganlal Kansagara of Ramvechina
says, "The notification is partial to the politically influential. Where
they have palatial farmsteads, the eco-sensitive zone extends just 200m
from the forest limit. While in Dhari, Amreli, Visavadar and Kodinar,
the buffer is 200m to 500m, in Talala and Sasan-Gir it extends to 10km.
Why these different standards?"
Lakshmidas Jhatakia of Ramvechina village says, "Our agitation is not
against the lions. No farmer has harmed any lion. The notified
eco-sensitive zone extends 500m from riverbanks. For example, the Hiran
river flows right through Talala town. Most villages are situated close
to the river."
Gujarat government had moved a curative petition in Supreme Court as its last legal resort to retain its Asiatic lions
BHOPAL: It is none other than delay in notification of Kuno wildlife
sanctuary as a national park that has hampered the project of shifting Gir lions to Madhya Pradesh.
At the sixth meeting of the expert committee on translocation of Asiatic lions,
the MP government was asked to notify the area by February 2017, but to
no avail. This was the last condition imposed by a Supreme
Court-appointed committee.
In January this year, Gujarat's forest department had placed its
objections before this 12-member committee and demanded that 36 studies
be completed before the endangered Gir lions can be transferred to MP.
"Converting this wildlife sanctuary into a national park was the last
condition MP was asked to comply with.
But they didn't. Both MP and Gujarat governments are delaying procedural formalities," alleged RTI activist Ajay Dubey, who has filed a contempt petition against both governments for "undue delay in compliance of Supreme Court's order in shifting of lions".
Issues like prey base, habitat, vegetation and weather are said to be
conductive for shifting of lions to Kuno. The MP forest department had
promised to complete all formal processes of declaring Kuno as a
'national park' by the end of February, but failed to do so following
varied administrative problems, aid sources. The expert committee had
visited Kuno last December.
After spending nearly five hours at the sanctuary, the panel members
had found the atmosphere in Kuno-Palpur suitable for shifting of lions.
Gujarat, too, could not question much on MP's preparedness to host the
lions, sources said.
Gujarat government had moved a curative petition in Supreme Court as its last legal resort to retain its Asiatic lions. It was dismissed.
When shortage of prey base was cited as one of the major objections,
the state declared 700 sq km as a protected area to resolve the issue.
Sources said the prey base, which was presented before the court in
2013, was nearly 350 sq. km, which is the core sanctuary area.
While MP won the eight-year-long legal battle with Gujarat in 2013, the latter had been dilly-dallying compliance.
Madhya Pradesh had been trying to mollify Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi
Peter Nazareth and Bharat Yagnik | TNN | Nov 22, 2017, 08:00 IST
KODINAR: Kodinar is a small town sandhwiched between the Arabian sea
to its south and the Gir forest. With the forest precluding most
agricultural activities, limestone deposits along the coast — a feature
of the peninsular coastline from Porbandar to Bhavnagar — are the
bedrock of industry and the main source of income for the mining mafia.
The town is the taluka headquarter of Gir-Somnath district, 50km down a
terrible highway from the district headquarters at Veraval. This is the
stomping ground of BJP's Junagadh Ex-MP, Dinu Bogha Solanki. Dinubha,
who became the BJP MP from Junagadh in 2009, was elected Kodinar MLA in
1998, 2002 and 2007.
Solanki stands accused of masterminding the slaying of RTI activist
Amit Jethava, who was shot dead outside the Gujarat high court on July
20, 2010, soon after he had filed a PIL objecting to widespread illegal
mining within the protected Gir forest.
Interestingly, Jethava had contested the 2007 elections against
Dinubha as an independent and polled barely 1.5% of valid votes.
The Gujarat high court had recently ordered a complete retrial in the
murder case, as an unprecedented number of witnesses had turned hostile,
with several plainly complaining that Dinubha was pressurizing them.
The Supreme Court later decreed that only 26 key witnesses be
re-examined, rather than conduct a complete retrial. Dinubha is
currently in jail, having surrendered to a CBI court on November 6.
President of the Samudri Shramik Surakshan Sangh (association for protection of maritime workers) Balubhai Socha
says, "This region around Kodinar is fully at the mercy of Dinubha.
Limestone mining and transport businesses are firmly in his control. He
is from the Karadia Rajput community, which makes up about 42,000 of the
Kodinar seat's 1.84 lakh voters. There are 48,000 Kolis, 30,000 Dalits,
15,000 Muslims and other smaller groups here.
"Dinubha became a member of the taluka panchayat in 1982 and his rise
has been unstoppable ever since the Ambuja cement factory came to this
area. As the assembly seat became reserved for SCs, Jethalal Solanki
became the MLA. He won in 2012 by around 8,000 votes. He was originally
in the Dinu Bogha faction of the BJP but they later parted ways. The
nagarpalika and taluka panchayat are both with the BJP since 1995."
Jethalal, who was a parliamentary secretary, was denied the BJP ticket
for 2017 and resigned from the party on November 18, just before the
BJP declared its candidate. The BJP Kodinar ticket has gone to Rambhai
Vadher while Congress has fielded Mohan Vala. Jethalal had defeated Vala by 8,477 votes in 2012.
Shiva Solanki, Dinubha's nephew and a co-accused in the Amit Jethava
murder case, is the current president of Kodinar municipality.
Shiva says, "We will win this seat as a gift for Dinubha. We have an
army of 10,000 volunteers for the campaign. The seat can't go to a
Karadia Rajput because it is reserved for SCs. Dinubha has anyway worked
for all sections of society."
Shiva was elected to the municipality on a BJP ticket, but the city
BJP unit was split due to Dinubha and Jethalal falling out. The clout of
the Dinubha faction can be made out from the fact that Shiva rules the
Kodinar municipality with the support of 27 independents, all of whom
defeated BJP's nominees.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/caught-between-the-don-and-the-deep-sea/articleshow/61745865.cms
Plans are afoot to bring two lions and three lionesses for the safari.(Pic for representation)
Mulayam
Singh Yadav’s dream and Akhilesh Yadav’s pet project – Etawah Lion
Safari – is set to get a boost from the Yogi government.
The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to bring more lions from Gujarat for the safari.
In
2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Gujarat lions at the safari had become a
political issue when they figured in the speeches of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as they took a dig
at each other over the lions.
Speaking to HT, Rupak Dey, principal
chief conservator of forests, Uttar Pradesh, said, “We are trying to
bring more lions for the safari from Gujarat.”
Mulayam Singh had
conceived the idea for the lion safari in 2005, when he was UP chief
minister. In April 2015 then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had roped in
the world’s ‘Zoo Man’ Bernard Harrison Bernard and his partner Tina Lim
Long – the ones who had designed the wondrous Singapore Zoo and the
Singapore Night Safari – for expert advice on the Etawah safari.
Head
of the Etawah safari PP Singh said efforts were being made to bring two
lions and three lionesses this time. However, one lion and two
lionesses could possibly be spared for the safari.
The
first two pairs of Asiatic lions were brought there (from Gujarat) in
April 2014. Three lionesses, two lions and five cubs have died in the
safari due to illness since 2014, which is a key reason for delay in
launch of the project.
“As a precaution, we will go for proper
medical check-up of the animals before bringing them. We are in talks
with three different zoos to get the animals,” Singh said.
The
safari was planned on 350 hectares of land, of which 50 hectares are the
core area and the rest 300 hectares are in the buffer zone. The
uniqueness of this safari lies in the fact that people will move in
caged paths to see the lions and other animals moving freely.
The forest department is trying to get the lions from Gujarat’s Rajkot zoo, where these lions are found.
As
survival of the lions being brought from Gujarat has been a big
challenge – as a few died of canine distemper disease in Etawah – the
forest officials are in consultation with experts to make sure the
beasts remain fit in the breeding centres. “The aim is -- no more deaths
or diseases,” said another officer.
Permission has been sought
from the central zoo authority to get the lions and once approved, a
team from Uttar Pradesh will visit Gujarat to fetch the animals.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/yogi-govt-boost-for-akhilesh-project-etawah-lion-safari-set-to-get-more-guj-lions/story-1X1O9HerLRhQU76NgEeHmO.html
A cheetah lies dead on the side of the road in Iran. Many
animals are killed, despite signs warning drivers. Photograph: M. A.
Adibi
