Gujarat floods take huge toll on lion prey, 1670 nilgai and 80 deers dead.

Saturday, 11 July 2015 - 7:00am IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: dna | From the print edition

Nikhil M Ghanekar

"The areas around the Shetrunji were the worst affected as the rainfall intensity was heavy in a short period of time. Following continuous rain, the river crossed its danger mark. As a result, the lions and other animals could not make it to safe ground in time and drowned with the force of water," said SC Pant, principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden, Gujarat.

More than a fortnight after heavy rains and the ensuing flash floods battered Saurashtra and Amreli district in Gujarat, killing more than 70 people, the flood's actual toll on wildlife too has come to the fore. According to the details submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change by Gujarat forest department, the floods claimed lives a whopping 1,670 blue bulls (nilgai), 80 spotted deers, around 10 black bucks and even wild boars that all form the prey base of Asiatic lions. The Gujarat forest department had already recorded the deaths of 10 Asiatic lions, exclusively found in Gir forests. The lions had all drowned in the floods, largely around the banks of Shetrunji river, around 40 kms away from the protected area. Even now, the forest department is regularly scanning

At the beginning of July the casualties of blue bulls, the largest Asian antelope, were pegged between 600 and 650. But, the death toll has risen steadily as carcasses of several blue bulls and other mammals were found in a bloated and decomposed state downstream of Shetrunji river and dam. According to wildlife officers of Gujarat forest department, the maximum toll has been recorded outside the Gir forests in those villages that lions use as their corridors.
"The areas around the Shetrunji were the worst affected as the rainfall intensity was heavy in a short period of time. Following continuous rain, the river crossed its danger mark. As a result, the lions and other animals could not make it to safe ground in time and drowned with the force of water," said SC Pant, principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden, Gujarat.
The mammals, Pant said, faced a similar problem and were swept away in the flash flood. "Ungulates such as blue bulls and spotted deers are usually prone to suffering shocks during natural calamities that may lead to a cardiac arrest. To add to the misery, the floods wreaked havoc and must have swept them away," Pant added.
The confirmed loss of ten lions is unexpected blow to the famed Gir forests that had in fact recorded a growth in lion population following the latest census carried out this year. From 411 in 2010, the lion population has risen to 523 as per this year's census. The loss of lions due to the floods have also, once again, brought in the limelight the translocation of lions to Madhya Pradesh, an issue that is still pending in Supreme Court. Environmentalists feel that since the Asiatic lion is exclusively found in Gir, its population should be distributed as a safety net against incidents of such natural calamities.
"Even as of today, our staff is tracking all forest trails to see if the lions are safe. The loss of mammals in large numbers won't have any adverse impact as such," Pant added.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/google+alert/14e7aec2123c8ecd

Home stay policy at Gir to be reviewed.

Himanshu Kaushik, TNN | Jul 7, 2015, 01.03AM IST
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat tourism department, following the notification of July 1 that has brought tourism department's home stay policy around Gir Sanctuary and other protected lion sanctuaries under its ambit, has decided to review all the permissions granted even before the notification was issued.

The forest department in the notification tabled in the Gujarat high court (HC) on Thursday stated that tourism department would have to seek approval of the forest department before giving the final approval.

This effectively means that henceforth, the tourism department before giving any permission for home stay in the periphery of Gir forest including Gir, Girnar, Mitiyala and Paniya Sanctuaries will have to seek the approval of the chief wildlife warden (CWW).

TOI in the article "Gir hotels back as home stay units" dated June 17 had exposed how farm houses and guest houses which were banned by the HC for functioning illegally had been granted approval for home stay by the tourism department without even consulting the forest department.

The HC was hearing a suo motu PIL on an anonymous complaint alleging mismanagement of eco-tourism in and around Gir wherein 128 establishments were found operating illegally.

According to the new notification of July 1 submitted before the HC, any permission for home stays by tourism department will need an approval of CWW. Also, a copy of the permission will be required to be submitted to deputy conservator of forest. Forest officials are also empowered by the new policy to carry out inspections.

"Under this notification, if a person was given permission for maximum six rooms, he wouldn't be allowed to have 20 rooms. Constructing more rooms beyond the permissible limit will face demolition," said a forest department official.

The official added that the department would ensure that no resort or hotel was permitted for home stay as it was done in the past.

"Earlier, when the forest department had no role to play under the home stay policy, we didn't have any powers to inspect such establishments," said CWW, Gujarat, S C Pant.

Gujarat Tourism managing director N Srivastava said, "We are taking no chances and we've asked the third party to review all the permissions and this time, they have to contact the forest department. We will definitely review these permissions afresh."

Srivastava said that the forest department was of the opinion that this time the review would be perfect. He also promised action against those guest houses and farm houses which were operating despite being closed by the HC.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Home-stay-policy-at-Gir-to-be-reviewed/articleshow/47965576.cms

Praveen Singh captures man-animal bonding in India's Wandering Lions.

Film-maker Praveen Singh of Discovery Channel took three years to capture on his camera, and on his notepad, this unique bond between humans and beasts.

Mail Today Bureau  New Delhi, July 6, 2015 | UPDATED 10:02 IST

Film-maker Praveen Singh of Discovery Channel has captured the incredible tolerance of the people to the big cats in a documentary India's Wandering Lions. The filmmaker took three years to capture on his camera, and on his notepad, this unique bond between humans and beasts. The programme will be aired on July 6 at 9 pm. When asked as to why he chose to document the Gir lion sanctuary, he told Mail Today: "We wanted to bring to audiences this incredible story of lions and people living together and incredibly, the lions seem to be thriving in this landscape - a mix of forest, scrub patches, fields and farms." He added, "The central theme of the programme shows how people and lions are living in close proximity with each other. For locals, lions are part of their lives and they are happy to have them around." Praveen's engagement with the lions and the people who co-exist with them gives a different spinoff than what many environmentalists argue. He said, "To most people if they see a wild animal living amongst people, they view it as conflict.
However, the lions seem to be doing fine and the people also accept the animals in their midst. The people are proud to have lions in their state and most know that the big cats are not going to attack unless provoked. Many farmers we spoke to said they don't mind the lions in their fields or mango orchards as that ensures deer and other herbivores cannot damage the crops." As regards conservation efforts, he said, "As per the latest census, there are 500 Asiatic lions in Gujarat, with quite a large number far from the Gir forests. The Asiatic lion population has shown a consistent increase over many years and the credit for this must go to the forest department, conservationists, biologists and locals who are tolerant to the presence of lions." He is not the only one. There are thousands who swear by the lion in the Saurashtra region, where the king has by now acquired a territory of 20,000 mind-boggling square km.
This reporter learnt it while riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by a sturdy forest guard trundling through the dusty Gir forests. It could be a bonebreaking ride for many but a daily grind for Ghulam Mehmood. On the return journey with the only light beaming from his twowheeler, Ghulam suddenly stood up on his mobike foot rest that disbalanced the vehicle to scream, "Dekho sir, sher, dekhiye dekhiye." A pride of lions with seven members was crossing the road. For someone who hasn't seen the lion beyond the confines of a zoo, it was the experience of a lifetime. But what caught one's eyes was Ghulam's excitement on seeing something he sees almost every day. There was a sudden swagger in his body that shook the bike and would have thrown his pillion rider to the ground had he not held on strongly. Ghulam's passion is not as much for his daily job that gives him a few hundred rupees but his unflinching love for the wild cat. But he dislikes the wild cat expression. For him, it is sher, the king of his region and his life.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/praveen-singh-indias-wandering-lions-gir-gujrat/1/449342.html

Living with the King!

Abhiraj Ganguli

| 05 July, 2015

It’s a misty morning in Junagadh district of southern Gujarat. The village dogs have been barking uninterruptedly since the wee hours. As a haze envelops the village, people waking up are confronted by a curious sight — on one of the roads, the blood-spattered, disembowelled carcass of a cow lies tended by an army of flies. The onlookers, including a bunch of children, display a sense of awed interest without feeling the least bit scared. Of course, they know it was killed by no mere jackal or hyena but rather an alpha predator — the Asiatic lion.
But how can a thickly inhabited village become a hunting ground for lions? And why hadn’t mass panic gripped the place by now? These are questions Discovery Channel’s latest special wildlife feature, India’s Wandering Lions, seeks to answer.
The Gir Forest National Park is the last surviving home of the Asiatic lion, which once roamed in their multitudes throughout Central Asia. However, unchecked hunting for sport in the 18th and 19th centuries brought their numbers down to a handful.   That’s when the Nawab of Junagadh, Muhammad Rasul Khanji Babi, declared the area a “protected” zone at the beginning of the 20th century. So much for history, but what has brought the park into sharp focus is the rapid increase in the numbers of the rare species, from 411 in 2010 to 523 this year. And not only should the forest department, NGOs and conservationists be credited, the local population deserves special mention because they have warmed to the task of having lions in their midst. The spillover effect outside the confines of the sanctuary has meant that the animals often go from one forest patch to another through agricultural fields, village grasslands and human habitations.
How have people reacted to this change? Director and scriptwriter of the programme, Praveen Singh, says, “People are proud to have lions in their state and most know that they are not going to injure or attack humans unless provoked. Many farmers said that they didn’t mind the lions in their fields or mango orchards as they kept deer and other wild herbivores away from their crops.” It is an incredible story of coexistence, perhaps without parallel in the world.
However, going into the land of lions and filming them as they go about their lives is no mean feat. And the results are astonishing and throw light on a hitherto unknown facet of the animal’s existence. Startling, to say the least, are the innumerable sequences captured through special thermal and starlight cameras during nights bathed in resplendent moonlight. But only Singh can talk about the toil behind the breathtaking visuals. “It’s a very different world at night. Just the fact that we were working with no lights at all made navigation difficult, but over and above that was using completely new technology. The thermal camera required constant resetting of exposures as one travelled. It meant using a mouse with a track pad and adjusting a slider scale while the vehicle was moving. Believe me, that’s tough,” he says. And one is definitely inclined to believe him!
Those special cameras were sourced from a company called Ammonite in the UK, which enabled filming in otherwise complete darkness. Offering a peek into the process, Singh says, “We did not ‘set up cameras’ but we had multiple cameras mounted in a couple of vehicles. The camera technology itself was complex and we had multiple car batteries for power, computers to record onto along with a pile of lenses to work with both during the day and night. As a result, our Gypsies were really cramped and once the two camerapersons in each vehicle took their positions they stayed like that for several hours at a time.”
Moreover, filming took place according to the convenience of the king of the jungle and little wonder that it would be the case when one wishes to portray the natural behaviour of the animals. Singh says, “Lions typically sleep during the day, move around in the late evening hours and well into the night, or in the early morning, so we had to work around their clock. Therefore, we had multiple camera crews working day and night. There was a crew that would film early morning and during the day, and then at least two teams would take over, starting in the afternoon and working late into the night, even many a time being out till 3-4 am. As we were trying to film lions outside the forest, it often meant travelling long distances every day and, of course, eating a basic meal of packed chapatis and potatoes!”
Wildlife features often entail working without a script and Singh attests to this fact.He says that initially they had planned on showcasing the efforts of rescue teams in Sasan Gir but ended up focusing on the story of a few prides instead. The team spent more than four months filming on location and for eight months thereafter did post-production work because the thermal images demanded a lot of time. However, it’s all worth it when one watches the final product. Does he feel that viewers will perceive lions differently after watching the programme? “In a fast changing world, where wild habitats are disappearing or getting fragmented, it will become increasingly necessary for us to live with animals. The onus is on us to enable that to happen and find mitigating strategies for conserving wildlife,” he says.
India’s Wandering Lions premieres tomorrow at 9 pm on Discovery Channel

Read more at http://www.thestatesman.com/news/features/living-with-the-king/73695.html#cHATvfpYisyp65RL.99

State govt submits eco-tourism policy for Gir sanctuary to Gujarat High Court.

By: Express News Service
Ahmedabad Published:Jul 3, 2015, 3:58 - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/state-govt-submits-eco-tourism-policy-for-gir-sanctuary-to-gujarat-high-court/#sthash.Fe8nXGMz.dpuf

 By: Express News Service
Ahmedabad Published:Jul 3, 2015, 3:58

No new licences for hotels, resorts in one km area of the border of the forest that houses Asiatic lions

The state government submitted its uniform policy on commercial establishments in the Gir forest that houses famous Asiatic lions, before the Gujarat High Court (HC) on Thursday.  The new policy has given a big relief to existing units, mostly hotels and resorts which were facing legal action following a suo motu petition in the HC against illegal and haphazard constructions in and around the reserved forest areas.

The government placed its policy draft before the division bench of Justices Jayant Patel and Rajesh H Shukla, outlining its scheme for “governing the business of hotels and other commercial establishments outside the boundaries of Gir protected area.” The draft states that there will be no new licences for hotels and resorts in one km area of the border of the protected forest.  The government has also announced a new cess that will be called “eco development fee” to be levied at the rate of Rs 20 per sqmt while seeking conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural land.
Under the policy, the construction of low-rise buildings will be permitted between 1-2 km from sanctuary’s border, while the non-commercial residential buildings will be permitted from 2-5 km. The policy states that a committee, headed by district collector, having DCF as member-secretary and District Development Officer and Superintendent of Police as members, will clear projects in 5-10 km area.
The government has given a huge relief to the existing establishments inside the eco-sensitive zone from 0 km to 10 km who enjoy status quo, but those constructed without permission and clearances will be brought down. Interestingly, the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL), a government of Gujarat undertaking, will have to seek NOC from Chief Wildlife Warden before recognising a house outside of gamtal (village boundary) for homestay purpose.
Besides, under the new policy, all the existing units will have to get themselves registered with concerned DCF within three months from now which applies to all units falling within 10 km eco-sensitive zone. The renewal of licences will be cleared only after seeking opinion of DCF. Before giving NOC to any project, a gazetted forest officer will have to make spot visit of the project site and file a report. Swimming pools will be allowed in closed compounds.
This exercise comes in the wake of a crackdown on illegal constructions in the forest area.

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/state-govt-submits-eco-tourism-policy-for-gir-sanctuary-to-gujarat-high-court/

Floods revive debate over translocation.

TNN | Jul 2, 2015, 05.38AM IST

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AHMEDABAD: The flash floods that hit Amreli a few days back have come as a shot in the arm for votaries of the proposal to shift Gir's Asiatic lions to Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. The devastating floods triggered by rains in the last week of June killed at least 10 lions.

Ravi Chellam, the man who came up with the lion translocation project, says it should serve as an eye-opener for the Gujarat government which should now agree to shift some of the lions to Kuno Palpur.

On the contrary, Gujarat government officials and experts based in the state say that such incidents are rare and that there is no fear of the entire lion population being wiped out by some disease or natural catastrophe. Some officials pointed out that the Kuno river flows right through the sanctuary and such floods can destroy the entire population in the sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh too.

Chellam, however, said that the floods were evidence that survival of the species was at risk because the big cats were segregated in only one sanctuary. The May 2015 census had revealed that there were 523 Asiatic lions in Gir and surrounding areas.

"There is no way to predict the occurrence of natural catastrophes. That is why it is crucial to establish at least one more free-ranging population of lions before such threats manifest again," said Chellam.

He told TOI over the phone that the Apex Court has already given its judgement on the issue. "We should translocate the lions. The state of Gujarat has already exhausted all its legal options," Chellam said.

The proposal to shift some of the lions triggered a legal battle which lasted a long time. Finally, in April 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that some of them should be relocated to a sanctuary in a neighbouring state. A 12-member committee was also formed by the apex court to look into translocation.

However, former additional principal chief conservator of forests and member of the National Board for Wildlife, H S Singh, said that the flash floods should not be used to push for the translocation of lions. The big cats will not be able to survive in the 49°C summer temperature of Kuno Palpur, he said.

Singh further said that the area that was affected by the floods is a new area populated by lions in the last decade. "The management plan for these areas is still being prepared," he said.

SC Pant, principal chief conservator of forests, said that the flash floods in Amreli were something new for the area and that is why it had caught the forest department unawares.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Floods-revive-debate-over-translocation/articleshow/47904431.cms

Dead lions in India floods spark catfight.

June 30, 2015
AFP
AHMEDABAD
Wildlife experts voiced anger Monday at the death of nine endangered lions in floods in western India, saying it showed that at least some of them should be relocated to preserve their numbers.
Devastating floods triggered by annual monsoon rains last week killed at least 55 people in the state of Gujarat, which is also home to about 500 Asiatic lions in their last remaining sanctuary globally.
Gujarat’s chief wildlife officer S.C Pant said 100 forest officers were searching the banks of a flooded river that runs alongside the Gir sanctuary after eight lion carcasses were found, while another which was rescued later died.
“Already 27 lions have been tracked near villages near the river. They are in good condition,” Pant told AFP.
But wildlife expert Ravi Chellam said the floods were evidence that the survival of the species was at risk because the lions were living in only one sanctuary.
“There is no way to predict the occurrence of catastrophes, which is why it is crucial to establish at least one more free-ranging population of lions before such risks manifest again,” Chellam, who has studied the animals in Gir for years, told AFP.
The lions were caught in a legal and political battle in 2013 when the Supreme Court ruled that some of them should be relocated to a sanctuary in a neighbouring state.
Experts argued that restricting the lions to just one area put them at risk of inbreeding, disease and extinction.
But the Gujarat government has resisted any move from the state, where the lions are a source of pride, to neighbouring Madhya Pradesh state which says it has the expertise to manage them.
Pant rejected what he was said was an attempt to “exploit” the tragic deaths. “An isolated incidence of flooding cannot be the reason for shifting the lions to other states,” he said.
The cats are a sub-species of lion which are slightly smaller than their African cousins and have a fold of skin along their bellies. Census figures released in May show the population has increased in recent years to 523.

http://nation.com.pk/snippets/30-Jun-2015/dead-lions-in-india-floods-spark-catfight

Reel brings to fore Gir royals’ coexistence with humans.

Himanshu Kaushik, TNN | Jul 1, 2015, 06.03AM IST

AHMEDABAD: A lion your backyard or field may be a scary thought for many, but for those who live near Gir National Park it is not only a matter of pride but also a reason sleep soundly, says filmmaker Praveen Singh, whose documentary "India's Wandering Lions" captures the coexistence between the people and the big cats.

The one-hour film is the first documentary by the Discovery channel filmed on the villages in the vicinity of the Gir forest and how the Asiatic lion and villagers co-habit. It shows that the increase in the population of lions has forced them to look for territory outside the national park and become an integral part of the farming community in Gujarat.

"We wanted to show that despite living outside the national park, the lions seemed to be doing well and the that people were tolerant towards them. There may be a couple of incidents of lions attacking people a year but most people are proud that lions live among them," Praveen Singh told TOI.

Tracking the lions for over two-and-a-half years, the filmmaker and his team interacted with farmers, NGOs and forest guards. "Many farmers say that the presence of lions deters deer from straying into their fields," he adds.

The lion population in the area has had a healthy growth from 40 to 523 but has led to many challenges. But barring being run over by trains, lions are quite safe even outside the sanctuary.

Singh was all praise for the forest department, saying, "The forest department is very prompt and alert. Whenever we got information of a lion being spotted and went out to the villages to film, the forest department would come and check our permits.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Reel-brings-to-fore-Gir-royals-coexistence-with-humans/articleshow/47889347.cms