Bhopal: After reclaiming ‘tiger state’ status, MP roars for

BHOPAL: After Madhya Pradesh reclaimed its tiger state status with the maximum number of the big cat, the state government also wants lion to be relocated in MP, an issue pending for over 25 years from now.
It seems, after the issue of Narmada, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are now on the verge of confrontation on the relocation of lions.
Law and legislative affairs minister in MP, PC Sharma said, “Gujarat has not been allowing MP to translocate the lions despite a Supreme Court verdict. We will move the apex court again and request the court to issue fresh orders.”
He said that for the past 15 years, the BJP government was sitting over the matter and ignored the interests of the state.
In the early Nineties, the search for the second home to the majestic Asiatic lion was started. Kuno sanctuary, which was accorded the status of national park, was chosen as the second home to the lions. The government spent over Rs 100 crore in the shifting of over 25 villages from Kuno and rehabilitation of about 10,000 families. But Gujrat always refused to part with a pair of lion. Spread over 748 sq km area, Kuno is located in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh bordering Rajasthan.
After dilly-delaying by Gujarat and a petition in the Supreme Court, in April 2013, the court asked the Union government to translocate some lions to Kuno. It said, while hearing a petition, the Asiatic lions existed in a single sub-population and were vulnerable to extinction from unpredictable events, such as an epidemic and a large forest fire, etc.
“An outbreak of possible epidemic or natural calamity might wipe off the entire species. A smaller population with limited genetic strength is more vulnerable to diseases and other catastrophes in comparison to large and widespread population,” the court said.
Following the deaths of almost 24 Asiatic lions in Gir in September 2018, the apprehensions turned out to be true.
At least four of them were found to have had canine distemper virus (CDV), which affects a range of wild animals, and seven were discovered to have had a protozoan infection, transmitted by ticks.
Forest minister of Madhya Pradesh Umang Singhar said, “We are committed to protect the species of the Asiatic lion. Tourism is not our aim, we want to protect the species.”
Law and legislative affairs minister Sharma said, "They want Narmada, but are not willing to allow Madhya Pradesh to translocate the lions despite the Supreme Court orders. They want Narmada water but don’t want to give lions.”
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/bhopal-after-reclaiming-tiger-state-status-mp-roars-for-gir-lions/articleshow/70439425.cms

Desh Deep | TNN | Updated: Jul 29, 2019, 22:44  ..

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Animal ambulance rescues two-month-old ailing lion cub from Gir forest in Gujarat

The hi-tech lion-ambulance, which was rescued from Gir forest was launched last month after the visit of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani to the Gir Sanctuary. It was launched for the rescue and treatment of endangered Asiatic lions and other wild animals of the Gir forest
India TV News Desk
New Delhi Updated on: July 27, 2019 12:17 IST

Image Source : ANI An ailing lion cub rescued from Gir forest, Gujarat

A two-month-old lion cub was rescued by Gujarat government's animal ambulance at the Gir forest of Junagarh, on Saturday. The one-of-its-kind ambulance provided initial treatment and took the cub to the nearest animal care centre. The little Asiatic lion cub was found in emaciated condition. The ambulance had rushed to rescue the lion cub as soon as they received the information about the ailing cub.

Gujarat: A 2-month-old ailing lion cub was rescued from Gir National Park, Junagadh. The cub was taken to an animal care center. (26-07) pic.twitter.com/PW4UpjlQE6

— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2019

This hi-tech lion-ambulance was launched last month after the visit of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani to the Gir Sanctuary. It aimed at the rescue and treatment of endangered Asiatic lions and other wild animals of the Gir forest.

The animal ambulance is equipped with an anaesthesia-cum-ventilator-cum multi-para machine, a blood analyzer and an ultrasound imaging suite.
https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india-two-month-old-ailing-lion-cub-rescued-from-gir-forest-gujarat-animal-ambulance-538470

DNA test points at lion cub’s Asiatic origin

Krishnendu Mukherjee | TNN | Updated: Jul 26, 2 ..
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/dna-test-points-at-lion-cubs-asiatic-origin/articleshow/70386235.cms

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North Carolina lion dies during heat wave, wild cat sanctuary says

By Stephen Sorace | Fox News

 

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A 17-year-old lion became overheated and died last week in North Carolina as a scorching heat wave gripped much of the central U.S. and East Coast in boiling temperatures.

The staff reacted quickly, giving Sheba the lion IV fluids and other therapies, Carolina Tiger Rescue said in a statement. Despite the staff’s day-long battle to cool her down, her liver and kidneys couldn't recover.

COUPLE BLASTED FOR KISSING PHOTO OVER DEAD LION
"After working for so long to try to bring her back, we had to make the heartbreaking decision to let her go," the statement said.

Sheba was a 17-year-old matriarch, leading a pride of three lions. (Carolina Tiger Rescue)

Sheba was the matriarch of a pride of three lions that came from Texas, the sanctuary said. She was remembered for keeping the two males, Sebastian and Tarzan, “in line.”
PITTSBURGH ZOO ANNOUNCES DEATH OF LION THAT SUFFERED FROM 'VERY RARE' CONDITION
“While Sebastian and Tarzan hold a special place in my heart as the more delicate members of the pride, Sheba will also stand out to me as the epitome of what it means to be a lion – strong, confident, and smart,” the sanctuary said.
Carolina Tiger Rescue is a non-profit organization that rescues and protects wild cats in captivity and in the wild, according to its website.

The sanctuary remembered Sheba as the "epitome" of what it means to be a lion: "strong, confident, and smart." (Carolina Tiger Rescue)

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Lions are classified as a vulnerable species. The animals can live into their early 20s in captivity, while in the wild females can live up to the age of 16, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.
Wild lions are now mostly found in sub-Saharan Africa, although there’s one small population that has survived in India’s Gir Forest, according to National Geographic.

https://www.foxnews.com/science/north-carolina-lion-dead-heat-wave

Fight over saving Gir's Asiatic lions

Gujarat govt had recently said that the number of lions has gone up to 600. It has allocated Rs 123 crore this year for their conservation.

Gopi Maniar

Ahmedabad

July 25, 2019

UPDATED: July 25, 2019 05:24 IST

222 lions died in Gir in last 2 years, many due to natural causes.

As BJP-ruled Gujarat and Congress ruled Madhya Pradesh continue to engage in a war of words over the lion issue, an impasse seems evident.
A controversy over the translocation of Asiatic lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh has once again erupted as Madhya Pradesh forest Minister Umang Singhar has demanded lions to brought from Gujarat.
During an ongoing Assembly session, the forest minister asked "why is Gujarat not sending the Asiatic lions to MP, even when the death of lions was reported in large numbers in the last two years".
"In 2013, the Supreme Court had ordered the translocation of lions to Kuno Palpur wildlife sanctuary in MP. Even after so many years, not even a single lion has been given to Madhya Pradesh," Singhar added.
In response to Singhar's demand from relocating the lions to a MP sanctuary and his statements in the Assembly, Gujarat forest minister Ganpat Vasava said, "We are working as per the Supreme Court guidelines. We have not transfered any lion yet to any state."
"The Gujarat government will study the guidelines of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) first. After studying the guidelines, the state government will decide. There are 33 criterias of IUCN for the lion translocation program like area, food, and weather," he added.
As many as 222 lions died, most of them due to natural causes, in the Gir forest region in Gujarat in the last two years, Gujarat forest minister told in the Legislative Assembly few days back.
Among them, only 23 lions died because of unnatural causes such as getting hit by trains or falling in wells between 2017 to 2019.
Vasava said that 82 lions, including 30 cubs, have died between June 2017 and May 2018 while the number of deaths stood at 140, including 60 cubs, for the June 2018 to May 2019.
As many as 34 lions had died last year due to diseases including Canine Distemper Virus (CDV), Babesia, Streptococcal bacteria and Gram negative bacilli infections, Vasava added.
As per the last census carried out in 2015, Gir had 523 big cats. The state government had recently said that the number of lions has gone up to 600. Gujarat government has allocated Rs 123 crore this year for conservation of lions.
Government takes various preventive measures, such as building parapets around wells situated near the forest, fencing railway tracks, construction of speed breakers on roads passing through the sanctuaries and continuous patrolling in order to prevent lions from dying due to unnatural causes.
On July 20, a five-year-old male Asiatic lion, who was suffering from paralysis, died due to multiple organs failure at Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad. Jeetu, the lion, was suffering from Paraplegia (paralysis of hind legs) and was being treated for the last 12 days by the veterinarians.
https://www.indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/fight-over-saving-gir-s-asiatic-lions-1573204-2019-07-25

Lions struggle to break through pangolin's rock-hard scales

By Earth Touch News July 22 2019

In Photos: Lions struggle to break through pangolin's rock-hard scales

In Photos: Lions struggle to break through pangolin's rock-hard scales

By Earth Touch News July 22 2019

0

Pangolins may look a bit like pinecones with claws, but that scaly exterior is highly effective at keeping predators at bay. Even big cats like lions, with their impressive bite force, are no match for the rock-solid armour.

A lion in Londolozi Private Game Reserve tries its luck at cracking open a pangolin. Image © Sonya Joy

Writer Sonya Joy was on safari in South Africa's Londolozi Private Game Reserve recently when she witnessed two lions trying their luck at cracking through a pangolin's almost-impenetrable defences.
It was late afternoon and Joy was nearing the end of her stay at Londolozi when ranger Mrisho Lugenge steered his game-viewing vehicle towards a pride of a lions. Tracker Tshepo Dzemba had led the group to the cats earlier in the day, but they were "all in a state of extreme satiated slumber, sprawled out on the ground, bellies up and snoring," Joy explains in a blog post. Lugenge made the call to let sleeping cats lie and opted to return a bit later in the afternoon.

Image © Sonya Joy

Image © Sonya Joy

It was just as well he did. As they approached the cats for the second time, Mrisho and Tshepo were stunned to see one of the lionesses pawing and clawing at a pangolin. "Mrisho stumble[d] through an explanation, “I don’t believe it, she’s got a pangolin in her mouth!”

Image © Sonya Joy

These scaly anteaters are no bigger than an average household pet and do not have the kind of artillery required to fend off large predators, but they do have a super power: they are almost entirely covered in rock-hard scales. When threatened, the pangolin's defensive strategy is to simply roll into a tight ball and wait it out.
"Curled into a tight little ball, the pangolin [had] deployed its best defensive resistance, and the lion’s teeth [were] finding no purchase in the tight scales," Joy explains.
Their overlapping scales are comprised of keratin – a tough protein that's also found in fingernails and rhino horn. The armour is capable of withstanding even the most powerful of bites and the lion was clearly battling to breach the scaly ball.
Pangolins may seem "unhuntable", but according to Tristan Dicks, a guide with Safari Live who has witnessed lions hunting pangolins before, the big cats do occasionally succeed in breaking through the anteaters' defences. Young pangolins have softer scales and are particularly vulnerable to marauding predators.
In this case, the lion's attempts to prise open its meal seemed futile. After trying to lick her way through the scales, the lioness was eventually joined by a second cat and the two of them took turns "poking and licking and trying to bite into the poor little creature."

Image © Sonya Joy

Image © Sonya Joy

While there are a handful of recorded instances of lions taking on pangolins, the anteaters' nocturnal habits and shy nature make them difficult to observe in the wild, so it's not known how often they clash with big cats. Dan Challender, chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Pangolin Specialist Group, points out that there is some evidence that Asiatic lions occasionally target Indian pangolins in Gir National Park.
As darkness set in at Londolozi, Joy and her group were forced to retreat, uncertain if the pangolin would survive the feline onslaught. The cats appeared to have abandoned their attempts to unfurl their prey, but it's possible they returned for a second try.
For the pangolin's sake, let's hope they didn't. These odd animals are believed to be the most trafficked mammals in the world due to a high demand for both their meat – considered a delicacy in some countries – and their scales, which are used in Asian traditional medicine. The last thing this anteater needs is a lion gnawing on it.

https://www.earthtouchnews.com/natural-world/predator-vs-prey/in-photos-lions-struggle-to-break-through-pangolins-rock-hard-scales/

The Long & Brutal History of Adivasis Being Killed Over Land

Government ordered the eviction of hundreds of thousands of indigenous people from 150,000 hectares of forest land based on a Supreme Court order.

Land Conflict Watch22.07.19

On the morning of 10 June 2002, more than 1,000 paramilitary personnel, police and forest officials descended upon Wan nu Phukripara, a forest hamlet in eastern Assam’s Sonitpur district. The officials and hired workers burnt down houses, cut down orchards, and took away cash, ornaments and utensils. Those who tried to resist were beaten up.

“I was horrified. I have dared to come here though it is risky for my life.”

Peta Basu Mantary, Villager

The horrific scene was repeated across India that year when the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests ordered the eviction of hundreds of thousands of indigenous people from 150,000 hectares of forest land roughly the size of Delhi National Capital Territory based on a Supreme Court order.
Although the ministry had claimed that the evictions were to root out “powerful lobbies” illegally felling forests, the scene on the ground was vastly different.

Also Read : TRS MLA Tells Villagers to Accuse Forest Officials of Hitting Them

Paramilitary forces and even elephants were sent to destroy huts. Standing crop was set on fire or bulldozed, and many people were killed.
Widespread anger against those brutalities gave rise to a forest rights movement, which then compelled the government to enact a law to protect the land rights of Adivasis.
The law would come to be known as the Forest Rights Act of 2006. As per the law, indigenous communities and forest dwellers could claim rights over forest land if they could provide documents at local government offices to show they had been using that land for generations.

Thirteen years later, the same Forest Rights Act or FRA is being deployed to evict nearly 2 million indigenous families – even though the Act contains no provisions to evict people, rejection of applications is being used as a pretext for eviction.

On 13 February 2019, the Supreme Court of India directed 21 states to evict those families whose applications under FRA had been rejected.

That led to a furore and evidence poured in to show that many rejections had been wrongful, leading the court to suspend its order two weeks later and directing the state governments to find out if any genuine claims had been rejected.

At the upcoming hearing on 24 July 2019, the court will review its direction. The final number of rejections will be known closer to the day of the hearing when the states file affidavits in court.

Also Read : Forest Land Being Taken Over Without Consent of Tribals

Activists and forest dwellers fear a repeat of the evictions in 2002 if the court revives its 13 February 2019, order. Those evictions comprised massive human rights violations, and had stoked a widespread resistance movement.

Brutal Evictions

Peta Basu Mantary’s account was one of the many testimonies recorded in July 2003 at a public hearing organised in New Delhi by the Campaign for Survival and Dignity or CSD, a coalition of grassroots groups that was formed in the aftermath of the evictions.
The hearing drew testimony from 12 states and led to a report, Endangered Symbiosis, which is today the only documentation of the evictions that happened in 2002.

“There were horror stories from across the country. In one case, a woman who was in labour was dragged out of her hut.”  

Madhu Sarin, land rights activist

Assam had the largest number of evictions from an area spanning 71,740 hectares or the size of Bengaluru, as per government data. Debraram Musahari from the state alleged at the Delhi hearing that not only were women and children beaten up but 10 people were shot dead.
“There was no prior notification or information from the department concerned,” Musahari’s statement recorded in the report said. “Nobody knows what is happening.

Also Read : Women Farmers Suffer Due To Unequal Land Rights  

Assam’s use of elephants was captured in a photograph published in one of the national magazines, Frontline. The photograph conveys the horror of the evictions at a time when there were no camera-phones.
“That one photo led to a lot of outrage,” said Ashok Chowdhury, general secretary of the All India Union of Forest Working People or AIUFWP, a network of people working for the rights of indigenous communities. “And it brought all Adivasi rights activists together.”

The CSD report mentioned that other than Assam, the Maharashtra government had also sent elephants to demolish houses. Armed units of the state police had been deployed in all the states from where indigenous communities were to be evicted.

Eviction-related deaths had been from a number of locations but the total number of dead is unknown. There is no official record of how many people were evicted because the environment ministry counted only land area, not people.

Of the land area recorded, the data do not show how much was homestead and how much agricultural land.
The CSD estimates that one family was affected for each hectare covered by the eviction. That comes to 150,000 families or approximately 700,000 persons.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district, two children died a day after their homes were demolished in July 2002 because they were forced to spend the night out in the rain, Munnar Gond, an Adivasi from Bahuar village, told this reporter recently. The children’s grandmother passed away in shock the following day, Gond said.

Also Read : SC Orders Eviction of More Than 1 Million Tribals, Forest Dwellers

“Suddenly we were surrounded from all four sides,” he described the

Gond has since become a tribal rights activist, and was in the national capital in July attending a conclave of civil society groups ahead of the Supreme Court hearing.

Loss of Livelihood

In 2002, the loss of lives was followed by loss of livelihood for many Adivasis who cultivated small patches of forest land for food.

In Amba, a forest village in Rawatbhata block of Chittorgarh district in Rajasthan, Bhil Adivasis were not evicted from their homes but their agricultural fields were demolished and the standing crop destroyed. Twenty families who were living there cultivated about one hectare each, which provided them food and left a small share that they sold in the market.

These families were forced to take up daily-wage work in large agricultural farms or in stone quarries. Devi Lal, an elderly Adivasi, now works for seven days a week in quarries.
He walks one hour each way over rough hilly terrain to earn Rs 200 a day – the price of a cup of coffee in a Mumbai cafe. His children have migrated to cities to work as construction workers.
Lal’s land claims under the Forest Rights Act were rejected without following processes of the Act, as IndiaSpend reported in March 2019.

Also Read : Govt Inaction Forces Andhra Tribals to Build Their Own Schools

Who Owns Forest Land?

The roots of the 2002 evictions lay in the way forest land has been governed since the British ruled India. The Indian Forest Act of 1927 made the government the owner of all forests. People living in those forests were deemed encroachers unless they followed a process to have their land “regularised”.
This system continued even after India got Independence from the British in 1947. Each state followed its own policy to regularise Adivasi land holdings until 1990.

That year, the environment ministry issued centralised guidelines for all states to follow to “regularise” the “encroachments”. Committees consisting of officials from the revenue, forest and tribal welfare departments were formed in each state to verify land claims.  

The evictions in 2002 were prompted by a letter sent to all states in May that year by the inspector-general of forests, a senior official based in the environment ministry’s headquarters in Delhi.
The letter referred to a November 2001 order of the Supreme Court, based on senior advocate Harish Salve’s application that alleged widespread “encroachment” in forests.
In response, the court had ordered the central government to stop these regularisations, which halted the environment ministry’s process to formalise forest dwellers’ land rights.
The inspector-general’s letter had said the central government’s funding to state forest departments would be linked to their “progress” on evictions, asking them to complete evictions by the end of September that year.

This meant the evictions had to be carried out in the monsoons. The states swung to action.

Also Read : Lion Found Dead in Dalkhaniya Range of Gir Forest

‘All Forest Laws Were Anti-People’

Although the inspector-general’s letter had mentioned that “encroachments are generally done by powerful lobbies”, those that suffered were marginalised tribals.

“Encroachers are mostly poor tribal people and they need to be properly rehabilitated outside the forest areas,” the Madhya Pradesh government said in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court in September 2002.

The next month, the Maharashtra government submitted that the evictions would lead to “socio-economic problems” for the Adivasi population in and around forest areas and that any further evictions would “lead to widespread social unrest throughout the state which might be difficult to contain”.
In the same month, Maharashtra issued an order to speed up the process of verifying forest-dwellers’ claims for regularisation of their land holdings and put in place a system to verify the claims in village committees.
The order even stated that in case of any discrepancy in the evidence, the benefit of the doubt should be in favour of the forest-dweller.

By 2003, the central government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – the same party in power now – had also turned against the evictions. It had issued large advertisements in newspapers promising to regularise Adivasi landholdings, Ashok Chowdhury of the AIUFWP said, adding, however, that this was just a way to save face ahead of the 2004 national elections.

“All forest acts were anti-people. They only mentioned animals and resources. There is no mention of people.”

Ashok Chowdhury, AIUFWP

Also Read : India’s Forest Cover Expanded 1% in Five Years: Javadekar

The BJP lost the 2004 elections. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance that came to power took up the matter.
Manmohan Singh, the newly appointed prime minister, held a number of meetings with bureaucrats, representatives from CSD and social activists such as Jean Drèze.
At the end of one such meeting in November 2004, it was decided to stop evictions immediately. The government decided to implement Maharashtra’s system to verify claims at the village level across the country.
A committee was formed under Maharashtra-based activist and CSD convenor Pradip Prabhu to draft a new law to regularise the land rights of forest-dwellers.

“We were told that whatever we drafted would be passed [as law],” Prabhu recounted to me. Two years later the Forest Rights Act was approved by parliament and came into force.

Fresh Evictions

Now, 13 years later, the Supreme Court is mulling eviction of forest dwellers again.
The central government claims that after the states completed their review, the number of rejected claims has come down and is “pretty small”, and media reports have pegged the figure from “a few hundred” to about 100,000 households.
But the process of the review was hasty and some forest-dwellers’ paperwork was unfairly rejected, as numerous examples attest.
The Odisha government, for instance, heard and disposed of appeals against nearly 40,000 rejections in the last two months. Adivasis living near the state capital Bhubaneswar were notified just four days before their appeal hearing date, and on that day they were not heard.

Also Read : TRS MLA Tells Villagers to Accuse Forest Officials of Hitting Them

“There is really a systemic problem here,” said a Supreme Court advocate engaged in Adivasi land rights cases, who did not want to be named, adding that the Supreme Court did not hear any representatives of the Adivasis before issuing the orders of 2002 and 2019.

State forest departments also did not follow the procedure for evictions laid down by the Indian Forest Act of 1927, the advocate said. As per this law, notices have to be issued to the alleged encroachers and there is a system to appeal against the notices. The eviction orders require a senior forest officer to record reasons in writing. None of this was complied with.

State forest departments also did not follow the procedure for evictions laid down by the Indian Forest Act of 1927, the advocate said.
As per this law, notices have to be issued to the alleged encroachers and there is a system to appeal against the notices. The eviction orders require a senior forest officer to record reasons in writing. None of this was complied with.

Now, the Forest Rights Act is being misused – it does not prescribe eviction of those whose claims are rejected, land rights activists say. It says, instead, that claims should not be rejected as far as possible, and provides multiple avenues to review rejected claims, Prabhu, the activist, said.

Also Read : Pre-empt eviction of tribals from forests, Rahul asks Congress CMs

In many cases the rejections have been on flimsy grounds and the claimants not informed of the rejections, robbing them of their right to appeal, as IndiaSpend reported.
Also, although the Supreme Court stayed its eviction order in February 2019, some states still attempted evictions, activists have claimed.
In western Bihar's Kaimur district, the forest department demolished homes in the remote Bahuar village in March 2019, said Bal Kishwarsingh Kharwa, a resident, in early July 2019. “We asked them under what law they were demolishing houses? They said there is no law, it is the Supreme Court’s order.”

(This was first published on IndiaSpend and has been republished with permission.)

Also Read : SC Stays Order That Could Have Led to Eviction of Tribal Families

(The Quint will no longer be on WhatsApp, owing to changes in its policies regarding news publishers. You can now get the latest news updates on our Telegram channel. For handpicked stories every day, subscribe to us on Telegram.)
https://www.thequint.com/news/india/adivasis-recall-evictions-that-led-to-forest-law

Young lion struck by paralysis, dies at Nehru Zoological Park

A veterinary officer and a zoo staffer look at the body of Jeetu, a 5-yr-old male Asiatic Lion that died at Nehru Zoological Park on Saturday

Jeetu, the five-year-old lion, was born in the zoo on May 28, 2014 to the pair of Asiatic lions Atul and Jyothi.
By AuthorTelanganaToday  |  Published: 20th Jul 2019  9:21 pm

Hyderabad: A young male Asiatic Lion, Jeetu, who was suffering from paralysis of its hind legs for nearly a year, died at the Nehru Zoological Park, the zoo announced on Saturday.
Jeetu, the five-year-old lion, was born in the zoo on May 28, 2014 to the pair of Asiatic lions Atul and Jyothi. Atul, who had fathered 26 cubs in all, died on October 4 last year. The city zoo currently has 13 lions, five males and eight females.

In a news release, the zoo said Jeetu was diagnosed with Paraplegia (paralysis of hind legs) since on July 8 this year and was under intensive care treatment in the zoo’s Summer House area. A team of wildlife veterinarians as well as from PV Narasimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University at Rajendranagar in the city were looking after Jeethu.
The lion was unable to get up for past 12 days and despite all possible treatment, died on Saturday morning, the zoo said, adding that the zoo family deeply mourns the death of their beloved Jeetu.
During the postmortem exam, a team of veterinary surgeons found lesions and evidence of multiple organ failure that resulted in the death. Viscera and other body samples were also collected and sent to the Veterinary and Biological Research Institute at Shantinagar for further examinations.
https://telanganatoday.com/young-lion-struck-by-paralysis-dies-at-nehru-zoological-park

Gujarat must act on Devalia lion attack death: NHRC

Sidharth Yadav Bhopal, July 19, 2019 22:27 IST

A labourer killed; two mauled inside safari area

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Gujarat government urging it to act within eight weeks over the death of a forest labourer and injuries to two others in a lion attack in the Devalia Safari Park in the Gir forest of Junagadh district last November.
Acting on a petition filed by Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, the NHRC in a letter dated July 4 and addressed to the Secretary, State Department of Forest and Environment, directed the authorities concerned to “take appropriate action within eight weeks associating the complainant/victim and inform them of the action taken in the matter”.
At noon on November 29, 2018, two lions attacked Rajnish Keshwala and Dinesh Shokhat, daily wage labourers employed by the Forest Department who were leading the big cats to their cage in Devalia. While the lions dragged Keshwala into the forest and killed him, Mr. Shokhat managed to escape with some injuries. He informed officials of the department about the incident, after which 50 foresters began a search for Keshawala, whose body was recovered two hours later. Another labourer, M. R. Bharda, was attacked while recovering the body.
Mr. Dubey has alleged that the park had been functioning without permission from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA)
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gujarat-must-act-on-devalia-lion-attack-death-nhrc/article28597958.ece

Strange Animals And Where To Find Them In India

Get to know these interesting animals who take their comfort zone a bit too seriously. Find out what makes them so special

Precious Kamei

04 Min Read

There are unique and rare animals and then there are the endemic ones. In Indian context, there are many such animals that fit the bill of being unique and even rare. We have Bengal tiger, Indian wild elephant, Asiatic lion, greater one-horned rhinoceros, gharial, to name a few, stuff that any wildlife enthusiast's wet dreams are made of. But we also believe in being a bit 'extra'. Indian wilds will never fail to impress you, you only need to delve deeper (literally) to find these well hidden and endemic gems. Here are five such wild beings that are not only endemic, but wherever they are, their status is critical and some even hanging precariously near the point of extinction. Meet these five wildlife gems.

Nilgiri Blue Robin

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Nilgiri blue robin, spotted in Coonoor

The Nilgiri blue robin also goes by many names such as Nilgiri shortwing, white-bellied shortwing, Nilgiri sholakili or rufous-bellied shortwing. The species may have many names but their number isn't doing so well. Nilgiri blue robins are endemic to the Shola forests of southern India, mainly north of the Palghat Gap. If you look closely, you will find them on the forest floor and in the safety of the undergrowth of dense forest patches. These birds love the altitude, making the higher hills of the Western Ghats a perfect home. Their choice of home is limited so any loss of these forest areas has a direct impact on their population. Loss of habitat is their biggest threat.

Malabar Large-Spotted Civet

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A sketch of Malabar large-spotted civet

A sketch is all we got for the Malabar large-spotted civet. That's how rare this animal is. The species also goes by the name Malabar civet. Endemic to the Western Ghats, Malabar civets  are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Last checked, there were fewer than 250 adult individuals still surviving in the wild. Loss of habitat and hunting have pushed the species to the brink of extinction.

Pygmy Hog

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A pygmy hog is endemic to Assam

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

And they are so little!

Measuring up to only 21.5 to 28 inches in length, 8–12 inches in height and 6.6–11.8 kg in weight, the pygmy hog is little. Globally, pygmy hogs are found only in Assam and the 150 odd individuals that are left face the danger of extinction. The species is the sole representative of Porcula, a whole different branch of pigs, and their extinction would mean a total loss of the entire species. Where are the sub-species when we need them?

Sangai

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The elusive sangai deer

The Manipur brow-antlered deer or the Eld's deer is locally known as sangai. Found only in the floating phumdis of Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur, this very shy species are hard to find. In total, these are found only in about 15-20 km2 area across the park. According to the folklore, sangai is that binding factor between humans and nature and killing it was no less than a sin. But sadly, that didn't stop the hunters. Sangai is also Manipur's state animal and a lot of conservation efforts are made to save and protect the species.

Purple Frog

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A purple frog in all its glory

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The name comes from the hint of purple in the skin

Definitely not something very pleasant to look at, purple frog is the best example of how we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, however undesirable it may be. The purple frog is also the best example of how we so little we know than what our ancestors actually did. Discovered in October 2003, the purple frog made a big leap in the world of, well, frogs. The rest of the world came to know about the species upon their discovery but the species was not unknown to the residents of northern hill ranges of the Western Ghats.
https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/explore/story/69701/unique-animals-endemic-to-india

Lion Queens of India

By: Aditi Rajagopal

How Asiatic lionesses save their cubs, by playing the field.

Imagine opening your front door to see a wild, amply-maned and roaring lion traipsing down the sidewalk. The people of Rajkot city in Gujarat state had heard of the famous Gir National Park nearby, many even pay visits on weekends, but no one expected that a big Asiatic lion would actually show up at their doorstep like it did last year.

Gir is the last place on earth where the Asiatic lion exists in the wild. The population – for the most part – is booming. The number of lions hit the 600-mark last year, a historic high since they were down to less than 50 at the start of the 19th century. Scientists who have been tracking these animals for decades believe such a success story is unique across carnivore populations worldwide (pretty much all of which are in decline). And the ways in which these last lions of Asia have adapted to the dramatically-changing landscape is unprecedented. The latest observations on their successful breeding put forth in a study published last month in Behavioral Ecology says their growing numbers may have a lot to do with the way lionesses view…monogamy.

African lions have set the standards for what is known and believed about lions worldwide because of a significant body of research – and their charismatic roles in films. Groups of males (who form coalitions of 2-7 individuals in Africa) usually monopolize lionesses who remain ‘faithful’ partners and mate with only the resident males of their respective prides. When the fathers or uncles of the cubs are away - or forced out of their realms, other males that take over the territories and rights to the females kill all cubs of the former kings—giving their own offspring a better shot at lording over the territory someday. The lionesses fight tooth and claw to defend their cubs, but the males almost always win.

Asian lionesses, however, have subtler and craftier means to deal with brutish males. Research spanning across several years has now provided evidence that Asiatic females mate with several males in their vicinity - unbeknownst to each other – confusing each male into believing that the cubs born subsequently are his. The newborns seem to have several proud and protective fathers, each with his own skewed belief of the cubs’ paternity.

The team of scientists – who are part of the longest-ever study on carnivores in Asia – has spent the last seven years following and observing lionesses from nine prides, since their polyandrous behavior was first suspected. What they ended up finding was that every lioness they observed was using this strategy and not a single cub was killed by a lion from a neighboring territory. “Largely, the conservation of the Asiatic lion has been far more successful than its founders could have envisioned - no one could have predicted how clever these lionesses can be. A strategy so different from their African cousins shows how adaptable and resilient these carnivores really are,” said Stotra Chakrabarti, a Senior Research Fellow and the lead author of the paper on female breeding behavior.

Now is the time for lionesses to pull out all their stops. While their numbers are on the rise, the Asiatic lion population also faces the severe threat of being wiped out completely – as they are restricted in a national park within Gujarat state and no other wild population around to give them the cushioning of genetic diversity. This leaves them open to higher chances of inbreeding depression and more vulnerable to diseases spreading. Just last year, twenty-four lions died when a canine distemper virus hit the park. Conservationists have been fighting for part of the population to be relocated to a different reserve in the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh for years but until that happens, it’s up to the lion queens of India to rely on their genius.
https://www.discovery.com/nature/lion-queens-of-india-

222 lions died in Gir forest region in 2017-19

By: PTI |

Published: July 16, 2019 9:33:13 PM

In his speech on budgetary demands for Forest department, Vasava said the state government has allocated Rs 123 crore this year for conservation of lions.
The minister said Forest department recently purchased 75 radio collars for Asiatic lions to monitor their movements.

As many as 222 lions died, most of them due to natural causes, in the Gir forest region in Gujarat in the last two years, the Legislative Assembly was told Tuesday. Among them, only 23 lions died because of “unnatural” causes such as getting hit by trains or falling into wells between June 2017 and May 2019. In a written reply a query by Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar, Forest Minister Ganpat Vasava stated that 82 lions, including 30 cubs, have died between June 2017 and May 2018 while the number of deaths stood at 140, including 60 cubs, for the June 2018–May 2019 period.
“While 199 deaths occurred because of natural causes, such as infection and ailments, 23 deaths have been attributed to unnatural causes,” Vasava stated. Though the state government did not mention the last year’s viral outbreak as one of the main reasons for high number of deaths between 2018-19, Vasava had told the Assembly in Februarythat as many as 34 lions had died last year due to diseases including Canine Distemper Virus (CDV), Babesia, Streptococcal bacteria and Gram-negative bacilli infections. Gir Forest National Park is a wildlife sanctuary established to protect Asiatic lions. As per the last census carried out in 2015, Gir forest had 523 big cats. The state government had recently said that the number of lions has gone up to 600.
In his reply, Vasava listed various preventive measures, such as building parapets around wells situated near the forest, fencing railway tracks, construction of speed-breakers on roads passing through the sanctuaries, and continuous patrolling. The minister said Forest department recently purchased 75 radio collars for Asiatic lions to monitor their movements. A hi-tech monitoring centre was also set up at Sasan-Gir, he said, adding that a dedicated ambulance service was launched recently to treat the injured or ill big cats.
Responding to another query raised by Congress MLA Pratap Dudhat about illegal lion shows held in Gir, Vasava said as many as 74 persons have been arrested in the last two years for organising such shows in the forest area. In his speech on budgetary demands for Forest department, Vasava said the state government has allocated Rs 123 crore this year for conservation of lions. He said the funds will be spent on building a dedicated hospital and a research lab for big cats and for setting up a CCTV network and a GPS-based surveillance system.

In order to reduce concentration of tourists in Sasan-Gir, the headquarter of Gir National Park, the state government is planning three safari parks in Narmada, Surat and Dang districts.
https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/222-lions-died-in-gir-forest-region-in-2017-19/1646228/

Three lions spotted at marble unit in Amreli district

PTI Vadodara

Updated: 15-07-2019 20:19 IST Created: 15-07-2019 20:19 IST

Three lions were spotted early Monday at a marble unit near Rajula town in Gujarat's Amreli district, a forest official said. Forest department is investigating the likely reasons behind the lions straying near residential areas on Hindorna Road.
"There may be several reasonsbehind lions straying to Hindorna. They might have walked from a nearby forest. A dam is located there and lions might have visited it to quench their thirstor may be for some other reason," said Rajal Pathak, Range Forest Officer (RFO). By the time forest officials rushed to the spot, the lions had disappeared.
The RFO said this was not the first time that wild animals have strayed near residential areas close to Gir wildlife sanctuary. Gir Somnath district shares its boundary with Amreli district.
"Population of lions in Amreli district has grown in the past few years with big cats being sighted in five of the eleven talukas," Pathak said, adding that thickets covering Amreli hillocks and plains of Shetrunji and Dhatarwadi rivers offer a good habitat for lions..
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/national/597966-three-lions-spotted-at-marble-unit-in-amreli-district

NHRC issues notice to Gujarat govt over lion attack death at Devaliya Safari Park

On November 29, 2018 two lions attacked Rajnish Keshwala and Dinesh Kacha, labourers inside the safari park, when they were leading the lions to their cage as per regular routine. Keshwala was dragged into the forest and attacked fiercely by the lions.

By Express News Service |Ahmedabad | Published: July 15, 2019 5:45:42 am

As per Section 38-H (1A) and Section 38-H (1) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, prior permission of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) is required to run a safari. (Express Photo by Ashwin Sadhu)

Almost seven months after one person was killed and two were injured in a lion attack at Devaliya Safari Park near Gir forest in Junagadh district, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the state government urging it to take action within eight weeks.

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On November 29, 2018 two lions attacked Rajnish Keshwala and Dinesh Kacha, labourers inside the safari park, when they were leading the lions to their cage as per regular routine. Keshwala was dragged into the forest and attacked fiercely by the lions. He succumbed to injuries. Dinesh tried to save him and was attacked too, but he managed to escape. Kacha immediately informed the officials of the forest department.
After receiving the information, over 50 staffers began a search for Keshwala. After nearly two hours, Keshawala’s body was found deep inside the forest. While recovering Keshwala’s body, another labourer, Meraman Bharda, was also attacked.
In its notice addressed to the secretary of forest and environment department on July 5, the NHRC directed it to “take appropriate action within eight weeks”.

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Ajay Dubey, wildlife activist from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, sought action against the state chief conservator and principal chief conservator of forests stating that since the death was due to an illegal activity, the state government’s accountability for the incident should be fixed.
As per Section 38-H (1A) and Section 38-H (1) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, prior permission of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) is required to run a safari. As per the provisions, the legal status of a safari park such as Devaliya is that of a ‘zoo’ because animals are kept in captivity, the complaint stated.
Dubey in his complaint also pointed out that Devaliya Safari Park had been functioning without requisite permission from the CZA or recognition as per provisions of the Wild Life Act, 1972.
“If the state government does not respond to the NHRC notice and take action within eight weeks, we will approach the Supreme Court,” Dubey said.
“The state government has acted in complete disregard of its duties laid down in Part IV (Direc-tive Principles) of the Constitution as well as international instruments with respect to the safety and health risks of its employees. It is further submitted that the state government has failed to protect the right to safe and healthy working conditions of the victims as envisaged under Article 7 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,” the complaint stated.
“It has also been admitted by D T Vasavada, the Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife Circle, Junagadh, that the safari is run by the department of forest. Further, his refusal to comment on the CZA notice hints at the fact that the Devaliya Safari Park was running without complying with the requirements and taking necessary approval under the law,” the complaint further stated.
On the illegal operation of the safari park, the CZA letter stated, “It is observed from the records that the Devaliya Safari Park, Junagadh neither obtained prior permission of the CZA under Section 38-H(A) of the Wild Life (Prevention) Act 1972 for establishment of the safari, nor obtained recognition from the CZA for operation of the Devaliya Safari Park.”
Chief Conservator of Forests, Junagadh Wildlife Circle, D T Vasavada, said, “We have replied to this CZA letter within the stipulated time. The safari is not run illegally and we have permission.”
“Compensation of Rs 4 lakh was given to the deceased’s family and the injured were also compensated. I am yet to receive the NHRC notice,” Vasavada added.
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/nhrc-issues-notice-to-gujarat-govt-over-lion-attack-death-at-devaliya-safari-park-5829461/

Special Rs 350-cr package for conservation of Gir lions: Minister

He said the government envisages to set up a hospital for lions, centres for treatment and research and host of other services under the package.

PTI| Jul 14, 2019, 10.05 PM IST
Gujarat Forests and Tribal Welfare Minister Ganpatsinh Vasava Sunday said the state government has prepared a Rs 350-crore special package for conservation and protection of lions in Gir.

He said the government envisages to set up a hospital for lions, centres for treatment and research and host of other services under the package.

"The state government has prepared a Rs 350-crore special package for conservation and protection of lions," the minister said in a statement after visiting the Statue of Unity at Kevadiya in neighbouring Narmada district Saturday.

The minister said he visited the site for reviewing and monitoring works on 35 upcoming projects.

He stated that among other things the government proposes to monitor lions through drones and engage a special ambulance van for big cats.

"Four ambulance vans equipped with the latest technology have been purchased for the treatments of lions. The collars for the big cats are being purchased from Germany," the minister said.

Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is a forest and wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat for protection of Asiatic lions.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/special-rs-350-cr-package-for-conservation-of-gir-lions-minister/articleshow/70218217.cms

VIRAL | Video Of Tiger Crossing National Highway, Jumping Across Crash Barrier, Leaves Netizens In Awe

Written By Apoorva Rao | Mumbai | Published: July 11, 2019 14:51 IST

Hack:

• A video of a tiger crossing a national highway and jumping across the crash barrier has gone viral
• The incident of tiger crossing the highway has reportedly taken place in Pench, Nagpur

If you thought animals only evolve to survive in the wild, think again. With forests depleting, which is the home of wild animals, they have been adapting to live close to rural and urban areas.
As was seen in Gujarat where lions from the Gir forests even walked across the beaches while trying to find new territories, the following video is not a huge surprise. However, it has gone viral with netizens sharing with awe.

The video shows a tiger crossing the national highway at Pench district in Nagpur. As seen in the video, the tiger stays still at first and then moves silently towards the road, walks stealthily on the footpath and quickly walks across the highway and then jumps over the crash barrier.

The commuters were lucky enough to capture the entire video. Watch the viral video above.
The video was shared by IFS officer Parveen Kaswan on Twitter. He also shared the location from where the video was taken saying it was from Pench in Nagpur.
WATCH THIS: In Frightening Video, A Tiger Appears Out Of Nowhere To Chase Bikers On An Empty Forest Road
Earlier, a video of a matriarch elephant helping her family cross the road had gone viral. In the video which was shared widely on Whatsapp, Facebook, and other social media platforms showed how intelligent elephants are and the extent to which they can go to protect their herd.
The video shows a matriarch elephant clearing the roads of motorists and cyclists in order to ensure her family can safely cross the narrow road. The elephant first chased away a cyclist who is on the road and then walked in the opposite direction. There are four-wheelers at a distance which seemed to have halted owing to the elephant's presence. Soon after turning in the opposite direction it turned a little towards the side which is covered with foliage. Seconds later, its herd walked onto the road from the foliage and followed the matriarch across it
https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/viral-video-of-tiger-crossing-national-highway-jumping-across-crash-barrier-leaves-netizens-in-awe

Civic body plans safari park at Mitmita

Arpita Sharad | TNN | Updated: Jul 17, 2019, 11:34 IST
AURANGABAD: A roaring Asiatic Lion and a majestic tiger will soon find a home near Mitmita in Aurangabad if the plan of the civic body to set up a safari gets sanctions.
The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Tuesday revealed the draft master plan for the Safari Park project on 50 hectare earmarked for the project in Mitmita area. It will house white tiger, Asiatic lion, leopard, jaguar, civets, sloth bear, hippopotamus and ostrich among other animals.
The Aurangabad Wild Animals Park (AWAP) or Aurangabad Safari (AS) will be developed as a medium category zoo. It will be home to around 500 animals of over 60 species. The safari is expected to receive over 10 lakh visitors a year.
Municipal commissioner Nipun Vinayak said, “The plan will be submitted to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for approval and then the funding options will be explored.”
Civic officials and the project management consultancy that prepared the plan gave a detailed presentation to the AMC office-bearers, officials and media.
Brij Raj Sharma, former member secretary of CZA, Saroj Kumar Patnaik, zoo designing specialist, Rommel Mehta, landscaping and zoo architecture specialist, L N Acharjyo, wildlife pathology and animal husbandry specialist, D Swarup, wildlife healthcare specialist and B C Choudhury, conservation education & research specialist have prepared the plan for the safari.
The existing zoo, Siddharth Garden & Zoo, has repeatedly failed to comply with the rules and regulations of the CZA. The panel of experts found that limited space and dense human landscape surrounding the Siddharth Garden & Zoo provided little scope of improvement. Once the safari at Mitmita takes shape, the animals from this zoo will be shifted there.
The focus of the project is to showcase the biodiversity of Marathwada, conservation of local fauna species, educating visitors, research and following best practices in animal husbandry and welfare.
According to the CZA norms, the safari will house 40% species from Marathwada, 40% species from West-Central India, 10% species from the rest of India rest 10% from outside Indian subcontinent.
“Most of the animal housings will be open top/air enclosures. Primates and birds will only be kept in caged enclosures and most of the viewing will be through glass barriers. Moat will be avoided on lower slopes taking advantage of natural topographic drops on the site,” Brij Raj Sharma said during the presentation.
The project will include a plant nursery, parking zone of 8.6 acre, entrance plaza (ticketing, cloak room), central plaza (open air theatre, food courts, souvenir shops) and central park. A veterinary hospital, nature interpretation centre with conference hall and library will be built within the premises.
“The AMC or a body specially created for the purpose will govern the AWAP. The municipal commissioner will be the administrative head and overall in-charge will be the zoo director,” Brij Raj Sharma said.
Mayor Nandkumar Ghodele said the plan would be sent immediately to CZA for its approval so that the process can be expedited. He said they were planning to create an elephant enclosure on 8.5 acres.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/civic-body-plans-safari-park-at-mitmita/articleshow/70250664.cms