37 lions dead in three months

 Himanshu Kaushik | TNN | Jan 3, 2019, 04:53 IST
AHMEDABAD: At least 37 lions have died in three months from September 2018 to December 10. In September an outbreak of canine distemper virus and babesia protozoa infections had killed 24 lions. The data tabled in the Lok Sabha included figures up to December 10 and did not include another four lion deaths, of which three died under wheels of a goods train. The figures of lion deaths were tabled in the Lok Sabha in reply to a question asked by Gonda MP Kirti Vardhan Singh. Mahesh Sharma minister of state in the ministry of environment, forest and climate change stated that the Union ministry has received information on deaths of lions in Gir forest of Gujarat since September 2018. However, no large number of unnatural deaths of lions had been reported since September 2018. The data stated that between September 2018 and December 10, 2018 there were 37 lion deaths. Sharma said veterinary support from IVRI, Etawah Lion Safari, Uttar Pradesh and National Zoological Park, New Delhi had been provided to the Gujarat forest department.

A senior forest department official said that since September 12, there were 23 deaths reported in the same month and one lion had died in October. However, there were three more deaths in October taking the toll to 27 in one month that is between September 12 and October 15.

Earlier, it was reported before the Gujarat assembly that 184 lions had died in two years, 2016 and 2017, with most deaths being from natural causes. The lion census of 2015 had revealed a population of 523 lions in the state.

A forest department officer said that experts from abroad and lion experts from Wildlife Institute of India were not involved in the investigation or the treatment in the September deaths. Even Dr Richard Kock of Britain’s Royal Veterinary College had offered to team up with WII and provide expertise to the forest department but the government did not respond.

Officials said that after the September outbreak the state government came up with its own plan to save the lions and announced a series of measures which include setting up a hospital and a laboratory for investigation of CDV among others.

The Union government, too, has come up with its own plan for saving the big cats. Sharma said the Centre has approved a Rs 100 crore project for conservation of the Asiatic lion, which is to be implemented over three years. The ministry had, for the first time, roped in the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) as the implementing agency, along with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Gujarat forest department.
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