Picture for representational purpose onlyHimanshu Kaushik | TNN | Oct 19, 2018, 06:30 IST
AHMEDABAD: While the Gujarat high court advised the state government to accept advice from experts on the conservation of lions, experts say it is time to implement the Supreme Court order directing that the lions be translocated.
The Gujarat CM has, however, categorically refused to translocate the big cats. Lion experts have also said that there is no need to vaccinate all wild lions. The Gujarat government has so far vaccinated 36 lions that had been caged from a range near that of the pride which had lost 23 of its 26 members. The high court, acting on a petition, on Wednesday directed the state to follow advice of experts to tackle the outbreak of disease. "There is an order of the Supreme Court from April 2013, which mandates the translocation of lions to Kuno. It clearly states that translocation should be done in six months. It has been more than five years now, and the governments of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, and the Centre should now cooperate and make this happen in the next 12 months. This will provide some geographical separation between two populations of wild lions and reduce the risk of the sub species going extinct through events like the recent disease outbreak," said Ravi Chellam, a lion expert and the driving force behind the translocation project.
Chellam said, "It is crucial that we fully understand the recent disease outbreak, and this requires a credible, multi-disciplinary and independent investigation of the outbreak. This knowledge will inform the management of the crisis and help us plan more effectively for the future."
Chellam further said that it is important that the sources and paths of infection are identified quickly. Domestic animals, especially dogs and livestock in and around Gir, should be ring vaccinated for all potential diseases as standard practice. For this to be effective, vaccination and disease monitoring programmes should be implemented regularly.
About vaccinating the wild lions, he said that it is best to restrict vaccination to lions that have been captured and all lions in the wild should not be vaccinated. Care should be taken over the use of recombinant vaccines, as there are legitimate questions over their efficacy.
H S Singh another lion expert and a member of the National Board for Wildlife, who never openly advocated translocation, stated that in his individual opinion, lions should be translocated to Kuno Palpur.
Singh also said all the wild lions should not be vaccinated. He said, "After the virus outbreak, the state was quick to react. In Tanzania, the action began only after 30% of the population was wiped out."
WII lion expert Y V Jhala said, "It appears that mortality in lions was not as expected and the deaths of 23 lions is insignificant. The forest department has vaccinated all lions that were caged. People like Richard Kock and other experts who have worked in the Serengeti should be roped in and their advice should be heeded.
A leading expert on lion conservation, Dr Craig Packer, when contacted after the deaths of 23 lions from canine distemper
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/false-pride-experts-advise-translocation/articleshow/66279525.cms
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