Lions walk back 140km to reach home in Gir from Surendranagar

The lions entered Chotila range of Surendranagar forest division on November 19, 2019, via Hingolagadh Nature Education Sanctuary in Vinchhiya taluka of Rajkot. Forest officers say the two carnivores were from Babra in Amreli district.
Written by Gopal Kateshiya | Rajkot | Updated: April 13, 2020 12:35:57 am

TWO ASIATIC lions that had been camping in Chotila range in Surendranagar district since November 2019 returned to the established home of the species in Gir forest on Sunday with forest officers saying that the two carnivores may rejoin their pride.

“The two lions travelled approximately 140 kilometres over the past seven days and reached Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary on Sunday. Their location was traced near Mount Girnar on Sunday morning,” SK Srivastava, chief conservator of forests of Junagadh territorial forest circle, told The Indian Express.

The sub-adult lions entered Chotila range of Surendranagar forest division on November 19, 2019, via Hingolagadh Nature Education Sanctuary in Vinchhiya taluka of Rajkot. Forest officers have been maintaining that the two carnivores were from Babra in Amreli district.

The two big cats explored grasslands and revenue areas in and around Chotila, going as far away as Doliya in neighbouring Sayla taluka of Surendranagar in the north and till Gondal in Rajkot in the south during their five-month long expedition, forest officers said. The topography and ecology of Chotila range has a high degree of resemblance to Gir forest, they added.

One of the lions was radio-collared on December 3 and since then, the forest department had been receiving hourly updates on the location of the two carnivores. The lions reached Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary — an established habitat of Asiatic lions and is part of greater Gir landscape — near Junagadh city at around 7 am on Sunday, they said.

“Lions are social animals and it is possible that these two sub-adult ones could have come back to rejoin their pride. They could also have come back in search of mating partners,” Srivastava added.

Surendranagar division is part of Junagadh territorial forest circle but is not known as an established habitat of lions. Asiatic lions are an endangered species of big cats and their only wild population is surviving in Gir forest and other protected areas of Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath and Bhavnagar districts in Saurashtra. Their population was pegged at 523 individuals in 2015.

HV Makwana, deputy conservator of forests, Surendranagar forest division, said the two lions started moving towards Junagadh on April 6, crossed into Vinchhiya taluka, then to Jasdan taluka of Rajkot and to Babra in Amreli district before entering Rajkot district via Gondal taluka. Eventually, they crossed over to Junadh district via Bhesan taluka to enter the protected forest of Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Their only direct conflict in the last five months with human was reported from Keshvala village of Gondal on April 9 when they attacked a cattle-herder who sustained minor injuries.

The DCF said that that they could manage the two animals well during their stay in Surendranagar district. “There was no incident of direct man-animal conflict. We could sensitise and convince people… and farmers were even keeping water for the lions in their farms,” Makwana said, adding there was a probability of the two nomads returning to Chotila again.

The lions had preyed on 24 blue bulls and also attacked 35 livestock heads for which the forest department has paid Rs 5.15 lakh compensation, while a few claims are being processed. “We also surveyed open wells in agricultural lands in the lion territory and got paraptes constructed around 100 wells by paying farmers Rs 16 lakh assistance,” said the DCF.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/lions-walk-back-140km-to-reach-home-in-gir-from-surendranagar-6359540/