Focus on the lion too

December 05, 2019 01:09 IST
It is a piece of happy news for environmentalists that the tiger population of India has gone up. The government’s actions, especially steps by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, to conserve the big cat are laudable. While the tiger may be relatively safer now, there is another ‘endangered’ ‘big cat’ that has been in trouble for the past many decades — the Asiatic Lion. Its range is restricted to Gujarat and there have been deaths. It makes sense for the need for quick conservation of the species. The single population faces threats such as anthropogenic activities, epidemics such as Canine Distemper Virus and even natural disasters. The earlier plan to relocate the lions has been contested by some State governments. Conservation can take place only with the cooperative efforts of the Central and State governments.
Sravan Sivaram,
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/letters/focus-on-the-lion-too/article30170900.ece