Poachers back to hunt Gujrat pride?

Vijaysinh Parmar, TNN Apr 24, 2012, 05.43AM IST
Lion's Carcass Found Sans Claws, Cub Missing For A Month
MAHUVA: Have poachers become active near Gir National Park again? Missing claws of a lion that died a year ago and a cub that has been missing for nearly 50 days indicate that all is not well in the lion's abode.
A 10-month-old lion cub in this range has been missing since March 5 and the forest department has no clue about its disappearance. K S Randhawa, deputy conservator of forests, Bhavnagar, denied that a cub has been missing but senior forest officials confirmed to TOI that the cub has indeed been traceless.
Earlier, in April 2011, a lion was electrocuted at Valar village in Mahuva range. When the carcass was found, the claws were missing. Four persons were arrested in the connection but even after a year forest officials have not found the claws.
The area was stalked by poachers about five years back and nearly 50 poachers, led by Sarkaslal from Madhya Pradesh, were arrested for killing eight lions in the span of a few weeks.
The two recent cases not only bring back those memories but also highlight the lack of co-ordination between the departments concerned and the ground staff in the region. The lion's carcass was found 10 days after it died. After killing the lion, the accused had put the carcass on a bullock cart and dumped it on the gauchar land. Marks of the bullock cart wheels in the area had led the forest officials to conclude that the lion may have been killed somewhere else and the body was later dumped in the revenue area.
Randhawa, however, denied involvement of any gang of poachers in lion's killing. "We suspect involvement of local people in the case of missing claws," he said.
According to the last census, there were 411 lions in the sanctuary and of this, 33 were in Bhavnagar district, mostly in Mahuva range.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-24/ahmedabad/31392309_1_lion-cub-forest-officials-poachers

National highway expansion at cost of 13,000 trees: A gain or a loss?

Hiral Dave

Posted: Apr 26, 2012 at 0225 hrs IST
Rajkot RS 102 billion! This is an estimated environmental cost that will be at stake when over 13,000 full grown trees will be cut down to pave the way for expansion of National Highway 8D connecting Jetpur to Somanth.
Once built, this four-lane road will ensure smooth ride to pilgrims and speedy transportation for port and cement related industry, but the development will be a big blow to the environment conservation.
“As per a World Science Congress held in India in 1982, a 50-year-old tree can be valued worth Rs 16 lakh for its contribution in maintaining equilibrium,” said H S Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Fores (Social Forestry).
According to the Gujarat Ecological and Environment Research Foundation, a tree can be valued at Rs 15.70 lakh. Based on the 1982 World Science Congress, this cost was calculated considering various functions of a tree, including oxygen supply, ecological balance, food production, moisture retaining, retaining soil fertility, pollution control and wood.
The state Forest Department has, while inviting tenders, calculated the value as per Supreme Court guidelines. “As per SC guidelines, a value of one hectare area with plantation, as per variety of trees, can be estimated anything between Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 11 lakh,” said NHAI Deputy General Manager R S Jhanwar.
The NHAI has so far paid Rs 13.46 lakh to the state Forest Department for compensatory forestation for the non-protected area. “For the protected area, a sum will be decided by the department after a survey, which is on,” said Jhanwar.
According to him, the new road “will open doors for more development”. “There is one of the most important pilgrimage sites, Somnath, besides the Veraval port and industries like cement and chemicals,” he said.
But for environmentalists, the compensation and project reward is “not big enough to compensate” this ecological loss. “Many of these trees are 50-year-old and some are there for the last 30 years. If we add inflation, which is expected to be double after every six years, at present a tree can be valued at Rs 78.50 lakh (five times more than 1982). There are over 13,000 trees. The total value comes at Rs 102 billion,” said Narendra Jhakotra of Vivekanand Education Trust (VET) that has launched drive to save these trees.
While VET has launched a drive to save these trees, top Gujarat forest officials have maintained that tender was invited after all the efforts to save these trees went in vain. “Re-plantation of the trees is not possible as these are very big and cannot be transported,” said Singh

“We know what is at stake. The loss cannot be compensated. But this was the last option,” said a top forest department official.
Source: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/national-highway-expansion-at-cost-of-13-000-trees-a-gain-or-a-loss/941722/

Gujarat activists take up cudgels to save 5,000 trees.

Published: Wednesday, Apr 25, 2012, 16:14 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA
Environmental activists and NGOs across the state are getting together to save close to 8,000 trees that will be chopped down for expansion of the Jetpur-Junagadh highway and Veraval-Somnath bypass.
4,865 trees of 57 different species of trees, some of them believed to be over 100 years old, will be sacrificed for the project. A proposal seeking permission from the forest department to cut trees in the protected forest areas close to the two highways has further raised the ire of environmentalists.
Dinesh Goswami of Prakruti Nature Club said that they are contacting various NGOs to build a consensus on the matter. "We will be writing to them. We are going to work unitedly on this issue," said Goswami. Another activist closely associated with the development said that if the government refuses to budge from its decision they may also file a PIL in the matter. "But that of course will be the last resort," said the activist.
Goswami said they have sent a mail to some 50 NGOs across the state about the issue. "We will also be giving a memorandum to the mamlatdaar and later to the district collector. The same will also be sent to various officials including principal secretary forest department," said Goswami.
The activists are urging the government to look at other options including tree transplantation. "They can also explore the option of acquiring the farm land close to the highway at a right price," said Goswami.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-activists-take-up-cudgels-to-save-5000-trees_1680549

Saving lions: Locals told to barricade open wells in Gir.

Press Trust of India Posted: Apr 28, 2012 at 0619 hrs IST

Vadodara Farmers living in the vicinity of the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary have been asked to barricade about 3,000 open wells to prevent Asiatic lions from falling into them.
The farmers have been asked to construct parapet walls around the open wells to prevent them from becoming death traps for Asiatic lions, Anshuman Sharma, Deputy Conservator of Forest (Gir East), said on Friday.
A total of 8,500 such wells were located in the area. Of these, 5,482 had been covered under a programme started in December 2007, he said. The wells are dug by farmers who need water for crop irrigation and livestock.
The farmers are being given a government grant for Rs 8,000 for covering each well, Sharma said.
A sub-adult lion (aged about one-and-half-year) was rescued on Thursday from an open well in Ningala village of Amreli district.
Several lions have died in the last few years after falling in open wells. The wells have been divided into two categories - those falling within 2-km radius of the sanctuary and the others located 2km away from it.

As per the last Census conducted in April 2010, there are 411 Asiatic lions in Gir, spread over districts of Junagadh and Amreli. The sanctuary is the only abode of Asiatic lions.
Source: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/saving-lions-locals-told-to-barricade-open-wells-in-gir/942739/

Two lions punished for human folly.

Vijaysinh Parmar, TNN | Apr 27, 2012, 07.12AM IST
RAJULA (AMRELI): Two Asiatic lions are facing 'life imprisonment' for no fault of theirs! A lion, which was harassed by a group of villagers, brutally killed a 35-year-old man in Dholadri village of Amreli district on April 18. The area falls under expanded lion territory called Bruhad Gir.

As per rules, any lion or wild cat which attacks humans are captured and caged in Sakkarbaug Zoo or in the rescue centre in Sasan Gir for life time. However, investigation into the entire episode has thrown up some disturbing facts.

While forest department maintains that the man was attacked when he went into the bushes, sources in the social forestry department confirmed to TOI that the man was part of a group, which had actually snatched away a cow that was killed by the lion on April 17 by pelting stones at it.

"Next day early morning, the group again went to the area where lions were located and started harassing the pair. They continued to disturb the lions till 3 pm when finally one of lions brutally killed the man, Bhura Parmar," a source said. The lion tore apart the man and finally sat on his chest. Even forest officials had a tough time to collect the man's body parts and they used a tractor to keep the lion away.

Later the lion was captured and forest officials are on lookout for the other lion to capture it.

When asked, Rajula range forest officer A B Bloch said Parmar along with others had gone to collect firewood in the area when the lion attacked him. But forest officials confirm that lion never attack humans unless they are disturbed.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/12890183.cms

Lion tears apart man near Jafrabad.

TNN | Apr 18, 2012, 11.17PM IST
RAJKOT: An illegal lions show went horribly wrong for the organizer, who was torn apart by the wild beast in Amreli district on Wednesday evening.
Forest officials of Amreli division Rajula-Jafrabad range told TOI that victim Bhura Parmar (35) was organizing a lion show in Dholadari village of Jafrabad taluka for a group of persons who had gone for lion sighting.
The group of villagers reportedly disturbed a lion and lioness. The agitated lion came menacingly close to the group and tried to attack them. While other villagers managed to escape, Bhura could not and the lion dragged him into the bushes. The wild cat tore his body apart, said officials, adding, his skeleton was found at the site.
Source:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/Lion-tears-apart-man-near-Jafrabad/articleshow/12722105.cms

सैफई में दहाड़ेंगे गिर के सिंह!

Last updated - Wed, Apr 18, 2012
अहमदाबाद। एशियाई सिंहों की दहाड़ उत्तर प्रदेश(यूपी) के सैफई में भी सुनाई देने के संकेत हैं। वैसे, एशियाई सिंहों की एकमात्र शरणगाह गिर से गुजरात उत्तरप्रदेश को सिंह देगा या नहीं यह फिलहाल स्पष्ट नहीं है। हाल ही में सिंहों को मध्यप्रदेश के कुनो अभयारण्य भेजे जाने के प्रस्ताव को गुजरात सरकार सख्ती से खारिज कर चुकी है।

मामला यह है कि हालिया विधानसभा चुनावों में मुलायम सिंह की पार्टी सपा के शानदार ढंग से जीतने के बाद सैफई लॉयन सफारी परियोजना की फाइलों से फिर से धूल झाड़ी जा रही है। वर्ष 2005 की यह परियोजना को एसपी सुप्रीमो को खासी पसंद थी, लेकिन सत्ता के साथ ही ठंडे बस्ते में चली गई थी।

हाल ही में उत्तर प्रदेश के वन विभाग ने इस परियोजना पर नए जोशखरोश के साथ काम शुरू किया है। एस.के गोयल -प्रधान मुख्य संरक्षक वन व एवं वन्य प्राणी गुजरात का कहना है कि फिलहाल उनकी जानकारी में सिंहों को उत्तर प्रदेश भेजने का सरकारी स्तर पर कोई प्रस्ताव नहीं है।

एशियाटिक लॉयन प्रोटेक्शन सोसायटी के संस्थापक अध्यक्षकमलेश अढिया का कहना है कि उन्हें संदेह है कि इस परियोजना के लिए उत्तरप्रदेश को गिर के सिंह मिल जाएंगे। हाल ही मध्यप्रदेश को साफ इनकार कर गुजरात ने सिंहों को गुजरात से बाहर भेजने पर अपना रूख साफ कर दिया है। यह जरूर है कि सैफई लॉयन प्रोजेक्ट के साथ सिंह प्रजनन संवद्र्धन को जोड़ा गया है, लेकिन ध्यान रखना चाहिए उत्तरप्रदेश के चंद्रप्रभा में गुजरात का अनुभव कड़वा रहा है।

अढिया के अनुसार जहां तक गिर से अन्यत्र सिंह प्रजनन का सवाल है तो अभी हाल ही में गिर अभ्यारण्य से छह नर मादा शेर वांकानेर के निकट स्थित रामपुरा बिरडी अभ्यारण्य में स्थानान्तरित किए गए हैं।

अनुकूल माहौल मिलने से तीन बच्चों को जन्म भी दिया गया है। अब शीघ्र ही राजकोट जिले के बरड़ा में भी लॉयन सफारी की तैयारी है। वहां चार जोड़ी सिंह गिर से जाने हैं। ऎसे में सिंहों को राज्य से बाहर भेजना आसानी से गले नहीं उतरता है।अंतिम अधिकृत गणना के वक्त गुजरात में 411 एशियाई सिंह थे तथा इनकी संख्या में गत गणना से इजाफा हुआ था।

वैसे, उत्तर प्रदेश का वनविभाग इटावा जिले के यमुना-चम्बल नदी के मध्य क्षेत्र में सपा सुप्रीमो मुलायम के गांव सैफई के निकट 50 एकड़ में लॉयन सफारी विकसित करने की मंशा रखता है।

सेन्ट्रल जू अथोरिटी (सीजेए) से इस प्रस्ताव को आरंभिक मंजूरी मिलने के बाद फिलहाल मास्टर प्लान पर काम हो रहा है। करीब दो सौ साल साल पहले सिंह उत्तर भारत में भी मिला करते थे। ऎसे में जलवायु, तापमानव वनस्पित आदि के लिहाज से गिर की साम्यता वाले स्थान का सफारी के लिए चयन किया गया है।
Source: http://www.patrika.com/news.aspx?id=809959

Gir Lions in demand for Kunopal sanctuary.

New Delhi, Apr 16, 2012, IANS:

The Madhya Pradesh government on Monday said Gujarat’s opposition to the translocation of Asiatic lions from Gir forests should be rejected because the state has already made preparations to house the big cats in Kunopal sanctuary.
Appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, counsel Vibha Makhija told the Supreme Court’s forest bench of Justices that funds have already been spent on making the Kunopal sanctuary habitable for the Asiatic lions as per the project conceived in 1992.
Makhija said Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were chosen to identify the sanctuary and it was Kunopal sanctuary that was finally identified for translocation of the lion.
The Gujarat government earlier this month told the Supreme Court that it could not consent to the shifting of its Asiatic lions from Gir forests as there was no proper study on their translocation.
The apex court was told that “Gujarat’s objection to the translocation can’t be permitted”.
“All experts have agreed to the desirability and urgency of the project. It is not a national but an international project.” The court said it was not the “desirability” but the “necessity”.
The move to shift some of the Asiatic lions from Gir forest was made by the wild life experts fearing that the entire lion population would become extinct because of some genetic, environmental reasons or outbreak of an epidemic.
The Madhya Pradesh counsel said, for preparing Kunopal sanctuary, 24 villages have already been shifted.
The court was told that there were several water bodies in the area and Kuno river flowed through the sanctuary that constantly recharges water bowls.
Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/242620/gir-lions-demand-kunopal-sanctuary.html