Ahmedabad: The much-awaited Asiatic lion census, which was to be held from May 15, has been deferred indefinitely in the wake of the nationwide lockdown — a precautionary measure taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Gujarat forest department, which conducts the census, is weighing the option of conducting the survey after monsoon in November or December.
Officials in the state forest department said the census was postponed as there wasn’t enough time to make necessary preparations. The appointment of volunteers and their training is to be completed 15 days before the census begins, but volunteer registration hasn’t been initiated yet.
Forest and environment minister Ganpat Vasava confirmed that the May census has been put off. “We want to complete the exercise before the onset of monsoon, but we are keeping a close watch on the Covid-19 situation. If the 21-day lock down period gets extended, we may be able to conduct the exercise after Diwali only. In case the situation improves in the next fortnight, we may take up the exercise before monsoon or July this year,” he said. ACS, forests, Rajiv Gupta said, “We are keeping a close watch on the situation and may go ahead with the plan in May if the situation returns to normal. We do not need lot of preparation and if things are deemed safe, our staff and volunteers will begin the census.”
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/asiatic-lion-census-deferred/articleshow/75073488.cms
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