Gir cow milk to reach Krishna District soon.

The Hindu G. Sudarshana Rao at his farm with Gir breed cows at Veerankilakulu in Krishna district. Photo:V. Raju
Sumit Bhattacharjee
Updated: November 13, 2013 15:07 IST

‘Gir cow fed with a special feed can produce milk that has medicinal values’

Milk from Gir breed of cows that originally inhabited the Gir Forest in Saurashtra region of Gujarat, are here in Krishna District, thanks to the entrepreneur-turned-medico G. Sudarsana Rao, who has set up a dairy at Veerankilakulu village in Vuyyuru mandal.

In an exclusive chat with The Hindu, he said that the Gir breed of cows give milk that contains conjugated lineolic acid, which has been proved to be an anti-cancer compound.

The claim that Gir cow milk not only prevents but controls diabetes is not yet settled. As per ongoing research by Sai Butcha Rao, a research associate at International Livestock Research Institute, ICRISAT, Patancheru, if the Gir cow is fed with a special feed it could produce milk that has medicinal values to stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin and thereby control diabetes.

According to him, the mention of this breed was made in the Vedas and the Brazilians had taken thousands of cows of this breed to their country centuries ago from Gujarat.

Today, the breed is called Girolando in Brazil, he said. The breed is on the verge of extinction in its native country, he claims. “Today, there are about 15,000 of these cows left in Gujarat. And to save the breed the Gujarat Government has embarked on an ambitious breeding project at a cost of Rs.1,400 crore,” he added.

Dr. Sudarsana Rao said that the Gir cow milk was lighter compared to others, has high concentration of calcium, proteins and vitamins D and C and is sweet and tasteful.

To begin with, he has imported about 34 animals and aims to have a stock of 400 in a year. Terming the milk as ‘organic milk’ under the brand Ayush Organic Product, he said: “No milk is organic, but it becomes organic based on the organic feed that is fed to the cattle.”

No chemical used

The farm has a hydroponic machine that produces tailor-made green organic fodder. The imported machine can generate fodder from seeds such as barley or horseshoe gram in a controlled environment. For every 1.25 kg. of seed we can get green and highly nutrient organic fodder up to 8 to 10 kg. and the facility can be easily expanded depending on the requirement, he observed.

Dr Rao also pointed out that no chemical is used in the processing. “The milk that is extracted goes directly to the chilling machine and is chilled at 2 degrees and immediately packed and transported in insulated boxes, where the temperature is maintained at 3 degree Celsius,” he said.

According to him, the yield of the native breed is much less compared to the Holstein Friesian (HF) breed. Initially, the milk will be marketed in half and one-litre packets in Hyderabad and later sold at other major cities such as Vijayawada and Guntur through select outlets. The farm will be inaugurated by Animal Husbandry Director D. Venkateswarulu on Wednesday.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/gir-cow-milk-to-reach-krishna-district-soon/article5346878.ece

No illegal entry.

Express News Service : Mon Nov 11 2013, 04:02 hrs No illegal entry

Amid a mad rush to grab a look at the lions at Sasan Gir during the festival season, several tourists, who tried to break the law, were caught by forest officials and fined. Forest rangers caught 10 men entering the Gir forest area without permission in two incidents and imposed a fine of Rs 22,000 on them. "There is a heavy rush of tourists at Sasan Gir. Those who do not get permission, tend to enter the sanctuary area by any means. We have formed special teams of forest guards to check such activities," said a top forest officer.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gujarat-confidential/1193424/

Five lions back in Gir forest after medical treatment.

Last Updated: Sunday, November 10, 2013, 19:37

Vadodara: Five lions, including two cubs, were released back into the wild by forest officials near Kotamba in Amreli district, after treating them for various diseases.

"A group of five lions, including a male lion (9), two females and two cubs, were released in the wild on Thursday after they were treated at Jasadhar medical centre," said Deputy Conservator of Forest, Sasan Gir (West), Anshuman Sharma.


He said the big cats were admitted in the centre in the last week of September after forest officials found them attacking cattle and straying into human habitation.

"This group of lions has been suffering due to pains and injuries caused due to various diseases and attacks. They attacked cattle and caused damage to the fields, triggering panic among people," he told PTI today.

Sharma said forest officials initially thought the adult lions were displaying this kind of peculiar behaviour due to mating season, but it turned out that they were suffering from diseases.

"The forest department had set up a ring cage (used in circus) for catching the big cats near Kotamba village. They were shifted to Jasadhar centre which is fully equipped with all necessary gadgets and instruments required for providing medical treatment to them," the officer said.

He said the lions were shifted to an observation centre at Timbarva before they were finally released in the wild.

Sharma said the foresters use electronic gadgets to monitor movement of big cats in the Asia's only habitat at Sasan and to detect if they are suffering from any disease or injured.

"Lions are territorial animals. They do not allow another group of lions to enter into their territory," said Sharma.

Two leopards found dead in and around the Gir forest area.

Press Trust of India  |  Amreli (Gujarat) 

November 6, 2013 Last Updated at 23:24 IST

Two leopards were found dead today in and around the Gir forest and its surrounding areas.

Forest officials said their deaths were "not natural".

A five-year-old leopardess was found dead on the outskirts of Sarasiya village near Dhari town today, officials said, adding that she was injured and died due to injuries.

An inquiry has begun on how the leopardess got injured, they said.

In another incident, one leopard was killed after a fight with a lion in the Dhalkhania range of the Gir forest today, forest officials said.

Fighting between lions and leopards over territory is common and lions end up winning such fights most of the time, since they are stronger animals, they said.

The body of the third leopard which died of natural causes was found yesterday, at Vadli in Tulshishyam range of the Gir forest, officials said, adding that the animal died of old age.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/two-leopards-found-dead-in-and-around-the-gir-forest-area-113110601215_1.html

Gir lions expand home range, two spotted in Rajkot taluka.

Sat Nov 02 2013, 03:54 hrs
Buttresting the claim of Gujarat government that lions are expanding their home range, two male lions were reportedly sighted in Jasdan taluka of Rajkot district, around 100 km away from Gir forests in Amreli district on Friday. The two lions raided one Lakhu Bharwad's enclosure of cows in Dolatpara village, some 35 km south of Jasdan and preyed on four cows at around 4 am, Jasdan Range Forest Officer (RFO) Mahendrasinh Vaishnav said. "A farm labourer of the village claimed to have seen the two big cats. Pug marks also suggest that the cats were lions," Vaishnav further said.
Incidentally, the same lions had reportedly been camping in Gondal taluka for the past week. Gondal is also more than 50 km away from Gir forest, the only natural habitat of the endangered Asiatic lions, in Amreli and Junagadh districts.
"They are the same two sub-adult male lions which were reported in the neighbouring Gondal taluka. Our rescue team is following their movement to prevent any untoward incident," Sandeep Kumar, Deputy Conservator of Forest (wildlife division, Sasan Gir), said. He denied media reports that the forest officers were trying to guide the lions back to Gir forest. "This is a natural procedure of lions for establishing their new territories. We shall not trap and bring them to the rescue centre in Sasan. Since Jasdan has some grassland, it is possible the two might stay as prey will be available there," Kumar said.
Besides numerous patches of social forestry, Hingolgadh Nature Education Sanctuary, is also located in Jasdan. The sanctuary is home to blue bulls, Indian gazelle and ungulates which are prey of lions. The sighting of the two lions in Jusdan underpins the claim of officers of the State Forest Department that the big cats are winning their territory back and need not be translocated for better survival of the species.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gir-lions-expand-home-range-two-spotted-in-rajkot-taluka/1190250/

Lions kill 4 cattle heads in Jasdan village.

TNN Nov 2, 2013, 02.22AM IST

RAJKOT: Lions made four cattle heads their prey in Dolatpar village of Jasdan taluka in Rajkot on Thursday. Forest department officials said two lions wandering in villages of Gondal and Kotda-Sangani talukas and have now entered villages of Jasdan taluka.
Range forest officer in Jasdan M C Vaishnav said four cows from the herd of Lakhubhai Bharwad in Dolatpar village were killed by lions. "The lions continue to be around the village. We are tracking the pug marks of lions and are closely monitoring their movements," he added

Earlier this week, the lions killed cattle in Bildi, Vinjuvadi and Sanala villages of Gondal taluka and Bhadva village in Kotda-Sangani taluka of Rajkot. Bhadva is about 25km away from Rajkot city. Dolatpar village is about 35km from Jasdan and 60km from Rajkot.
Rescue teams from Sasan-Gir have been tracking the lions for their safety. "The situation turns difficult as large number people rush to the spot on hearing about the lions' presence. We have to keep people away from lions as they do not understand the wildcat's behavior and try to go close to them," an official said.
Officials believe that the two male lions may have come from Chandgadh area in Amreli district wandering in search of new territory.
Sources said over the last two decades lions have dispersed from Gir forest, which was a core area of Asiatic lions. Analysis of direct and indirect evidence like sightings, prey and pugmarks show that the kingdom of lions is spread over 1,050 villages in three districts of Saurashtra region.
"Lions have dispersed from Gir forest to other areas over a period of time in search of new habitat and resources. From 1997, lions began to stray in the eastern revenue areas of Amreli and Bhavnagar districts. At present, lions occupy an area over 16,000 square kilometre in Saurashtra spread over in three districts-Junagadh, Amreli and Bhavnagar," an official said.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-11-02/rajkot/43611003_1_asiatic-lions-gir-forest-sasan-gir

Lions scale new heights in Junagadh.

Vijaysinh Parmar, TNN | Oct 1, 2013, 02.21 AM IST

RAJKOT: The roar of Asiatic lions is echoing on hill tops now. The wildcat, which is known only to hunt on plains, has actually scaled right up to Datar, the hill shrine located at a height of 3,600 feet from the sea level.

A group of lions, one male and two lionesses, recently climbed Datar hills and killed domestic cattle. Forest officials and locals said this was the first such instance of lions reaching such a height to prey.

"I have been living here since last four decades, but have never seen lions at the peak on Datar hills. This is the first time that lions killed our domestic animals kept at the cattleshed," mahant Vitthal Bapu of Jamiyal Shah Datar hills shrine (known as Upla Datar) told TOI. Vitthal Bapu said the lions stayed on the hilltop for three days. Datar hills area falls under Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary, where there are around 35 Asiatic lions.

Range forest officer, south range, Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Parbat Maru said, "We were surprised on receiving the message about lions killing domestic animals at this height. We have never come across such a case where lions have actually climbed up to the peak of a hill."

Forest officials believe that lions may have climbed Datar hills from Dungarpur direction and through Khodiyar Ghuna area.

According to forest officials, lions migrated from Gir forest towards Girnar and settled down here two decades ago. The state government declared it as wildlife sanctuary in 2008.

"This news is surprising as well as positive as lions have acquainted themselves with mountainous areas too," another senior forest official said. As per the last census of Asiatic lions, there are 411 lions in Gir, the last abode of Asiatic lions.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/Lions-scale-new-heights-in-Junagadh/articleshow/23323175.cms

Talala: Protest against re-merger with Junagadh intensifies.

Express News Service : Rajkot, Mon Sep 30 2013, 02:23 hrs

100 women from Sasan Gir, Bhalchhel and Haripur joined the hunger strike in Sasan Gir on Sunday. 

The indefinite relay hunger strike by residents of Sasan Gir and two other villages in Talala taluka of the newly-created Gir Somnath district, opposing their re-merger with Junagadh district, intensified on the fourth day on Sunday with women joining the protest. More than 100 women from Sasan Gir, Bhalchhel and Haripur villages joined the hunger strike outside Sinh Sadan, the local headquarters of Forest department in Sasan Gir.
Situated on the border of Gir forests, Sasan Gir is famous for lion safaris. Gir is the only natural habitat of the endangered Asiatic lions.
Villagers have been camping near the Sinh Sadan since Thursday after the state government issued a notification on September 9 merging these three villages with Mendarda taluka of Junagadh. In the initial notification for Gir Somnath early this year, the entire Talala taluka, including Sasan Gir, Bhalchhel and Haripur, was made part of the new district.
"The state government is singling out these three villages after representations from BJP's Junagadh MLA Mahendra Mashru and other local leaders. They are saying that Girnar and lions cannot be separated. However, the Forest department data shows that even Girnar has lions," said Devayat Vadher, a Congress member of Talal panchayat.
The villagers claim that they have nothing to do with any political party and are opposed to the government's decision due to distance between their villages and the new taluka headquarters, Mendarda town. "For us, Talala is 15 km away whereas Mendarda is 32 km. If the state government wants to make it convenient for people by making new districts, how fair is this?" asked Lakshman Dhokadia, the sarpanch of Sasan Gir.
Gypsy association, guides association and members of the hotel association of Sasan Gir have extended support to the protesters. "If the state government does not reconsider its decision by October 15, we will launch a 'road blocking' agitation and not allow tourists to enter Sasan Gir," the sarpanch threatened.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/talala-protest-against-remerger-with-junagadh-intensifies/1176183/