Reduce speed of trains: Gujarat to firm.

TNN Jan 24, 2014, 02.29AM IST
This is the second incident after September last year when a six-month-old lion cub was run over by a goods train near Uchaiya village of Rajula.
The official census in May 2010 had revealed that there were 21 lions in the coastal areas of Una, Kodinar, Sutrapada and Chhara. However, this number has increased sharply. Officials said that during the interrogation, the officials found that the train was moving at a speed of about 50 km per hour.
During the interrogation, the driver of the train said that even if he had applied sudden brakes, the trains would have skidded nearly 10 meters, thus killing the lions.
The officers said that the driver did not apply the sudden but instead applied the normal brake. An offence report has been sent to all concerned officials including the Railways and the Pipavav Railway Corporation Ltd and the forest officials. PRCL is the 50:50 joint venture company of the Indian Railways and the Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd (GPPL), which was set up for the 271-km-long line connecting the port of Pipavav to Surendranagar
Additional chief secretary, forest and environment H K Dash said, "We are taking up the issue with the Railways and the Pipavav Port Trust. The department will also be asked to have fences along the area with opening. At these opening, the driver may reduce the speed," he said.
Principal chief conservator of forests, wildlife, CN Pandey said that after the incident of the killing of one lion within the sanctuary by a local metre gauge train, its speed was reduced. But this is outside the sanctuary area. He further said that the department will initiate dialogue with the port and the railways.

AHMEDABAD: The forest and environment department has decided to write to the Pipavav Railway Corporation Limited (PRCL) to reduce the speed of the goods trains from Rajula to Pipavav. Not less than 50 lions have made this area their permanent home for the past few years.
On Wednesday, in tragic incident two lionesses - one of which was pregnant - were run over by a container train, about 1.5 km from Pipavav port in Amreli district on Wednesday morning. Five lionesses were crossing the railway track between Bherai and Bhachadar village when they were rammed by the train at 6.30 am. Forest department officials told TOI that the one of the lioness that was around seven-years-old was one-month pregnant with three cubs. The other lioness was two years old.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2014-01-24/ahmedabad/46562072_1_container-train-pipavav-railway-corporation-limited-railway-track

130 years on, Brits to make up for lion-hunting losses.

Himanshu Kaushik,TNN | Jan 28, 2014, 01.42 AM IST
AHMEDABAD: During the Raj, lion hunting was considered the most aristocratic sport. No wonder then that the population of Asiatic lion had hit the rock bottom under the British rule - there were just 12 lions left in Junagadh in 1884. British journals of the 19th century show that the big cat occupied a prominent place in the 'shikaar' stories.

A good 130 years later, a group of Britons feel it is time to payback. The ZSL London Zoo has prepared a conservation plan to become a part of the efforts to save Asiatic lions. "As part of international efforts to save the Asian lion, ZSL London Zoo is planning a £5.7m project to increase the size of its lion enclosure fourfold and fund conservation work on the last remaining wild population in the Gir Forest National Park," said the zoo's press officer Rebecca Blanchard.

The zoo plans a brand new Asiatic lion exhibit for 2016. "We're investigating the different ways we can get involved in projects to help save Asiatic lions in India. We'll continue to play an important role in the European conservation breeding programme for the species."

The project for lion conservation, that is captive breeding programme, is the baby of the ZSL London Zoo's zoological director, David Field. The zoo director wants to increase the number of the lions from five to 12 in a new enclosure will allow the zoo to play a greater part in captive breeding programme to prevent the subspecies from going extinct. A team from the UK will chalk out a plan for coordination with the Gujarat state forest department for conservation efforts.

Principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) C N Pandey said, "A team from ZSL London Zoo visited Gujarat five months ago. According to their bylaws, the ZSL London Zoo will contribute funds towards conservation programme of the Asiatic lion in its home range in Gujarat."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/130-years-on-Brits-to-make-up-for-lion-hunting-losses/articleshow/29459077.cms

Rain, waterlogging cause delay in lion safari project.

Faiz Rahman Siddiqui,TNN | Jan 28, 2014, 01.09 PM IST
KANPUR: Uttar Pradesh Awas Vikas Parishad, the nodal agency for the construction and execution of Lion Safari project in Etawah, had set a deadline of January 31 to complete the construction work at the breeding centre and veterinary hospital besides the main boundary wall.

Keeping in mind the fast approaching Lok Sabha elections, the work was supposed to be completed in the last week of January with the shifting of four pairs (four males and four females) of Asiatic lions from Lucknow and Kanpur Zoos at the breeding Centre of Lion Safari in Fisher Reserve Forest area but it could not do done due to rain in the region. The work got delayed by seven to 10 days.

Officials said work on nearly 2,500 metres of the main boundary wall of Lion Safari has now been resumed. "Rain since the first week of January had played spoilsport. It caused waterlogging and slush all around, which affected the work of raising the concrete walls," said Gurmeet Singh, wildlife warden (Lion Safari), claiming that almost 65 to 70% of the work related to the boundary wall had already been completed.

Sources informed that top officials have asked the authorities concerned to engage additional manpower and resources and speed up the work which got delayed due to rain.

JCBs and earth movers are being used and soil is removed to make deep trenches to raise concrete walls in nearly 2.5 kms of stretch of the total 7.75 kms around Lion Safari. During rain, the area got flooded, concreting work cannot be done and heavy machinery cannot be moved. Work related to welding and wiring also affected.

A senior official informed that three dozen employees have already been roped in by the state government to make the breeding and veterinary hospital in Lion Safari functional.

"The functions of the Safari would be carried out by several departments, namely, administration, animal welfare, commissary (store), transport, research, education and awareness, veterinary, horticulture, security and sanitation. There will be around 35 regular and contractual staff, including director, range officer, a veterinary doctor, two wildlife warden, one laboratory assistant, two clerks, three wildlife keepers, a biologist, who will be given the task of education, interpretation, and research of the Safari," added another official.

The director in the rank of conservator of forests, will be supported by one range officer, one education officer, a curator, besides a biologist and a forest guard. Field staff includes three keepers, four drivers, four security guards, two gate-keepers, two gardeners, one plumber, three sweepers, one electrician and one operator, he added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Rain-waterlogging-cause-delay-in-lion-safari-project/articleshow/29491166.cms

London Zoo to increase pride of Asiatic lions and fund conservation work in India to save dwindling wild population.

Ian Johnston

Sunday 26 January 2014

To most of us, lions are African, but many of the great beasts of legend were Indian. Now a zoo plans to breed more of them

They roared in Roman amphitheatres, did Biblical battle with Samson, and are immortalised on flags across the world.
But numbers of the Asiatic lion, once found from Europe to the Far East, have dwindled to just a few hundred in India. Its decline – partly the result of an epic slaughter by European hunters in the 19th and 20th centuries – has been so great that for many people today, lions are synonymous with Africa.
As part of international efforts to save the Asian lion, however, ZSL London Zoo is planning a £5.7m project to increase the size of its lion enclosure fourfold and fund conservation work on the last remaining wild population in the Gir Forest National Park in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
As the zoological director, David Field, explained, the effort to increase the number of Asiatic lions from five to as many as 12 in a new enclosure will allow the zoo to play a greater part in a captive breeding programme in a drive to prevent the subspecies from going extinct.
“During the Raj in India, huge lion hunts were responsible for the widespread decimation of lions in India,” Mr Field said. “I think it’s about time we gave something back.”
One of London zoo's cubs takes its first steps
Some estimates say that, in the early part of the 20th century, numbers of the Asiatic lion or Panthera leo persica, fell to under 20 worldwide. There are now more than 400 living in the Gir Forest.
However, the population is beset by problems, not least that their existence has largely been forgotten outside India. A London Zoo survey of its visitors found that “most people think lions are from Africa”.
This was not always the case. The Asiatic lion – found in Greece in ancient times and in the Middle East in the 19th century – would have been well known to medieval Europeans, and could have been the lion seen on flags, in heraldry and as an honorific for people such as Richard the Lionheart. Another candidate for the lion that so impressed early Europe, the Barbary lion of northern Africa, is extinct in the wild today.
Mr Field said that saving the Asiatic lion, slightly smaller with a larger tail tuft than its African cousin, presented “an incredible conservation challenge”, although “the population in India is stable, in fact growing just a little bit”.
Gir Forest National Park is surrounded by urban areas and, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are even fears that the current size of the lion population “is larger than the estimated carrying capacity of the habitat and prey base”.
Geoffrey Plantagenet and a shield with lion rampant
The renowned Indian wildlife photographer Bhushan Pandya, who has taken pictures of Gir lions for 30 years and works closely with India’s Wildlife Conservation Trust, welcomed the London Zoo project. But he warned that it is difficult to reintroduce into the wild animals that had been bred in captivity. The secret to the Gir project’s recent success was, he said, that lions and people had found a way to live in “unusual harmony”.
Mr Field said the new enclosure at London Zoo would, if it secured planning permission, be “world class as far as lions are concerned”.
It will provide a range of different kinds of environments such as places where the lions can “curl up and look at the public”, high points where they can survey London, and areas of dense foliage where they can hide.
“I think the lions can expect something very special,” Mr Field said.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/london-zoo-to-increase-pride-of-asiatic-lions-and-fund-conservation-work-in-india-to-save-dwindling-wild-population-9085494.html

Forest department sports meet starts today at Sasan Gir.

TNN | Jan 24, 2014, 12.20 PM IST
AHMEDABAD: Around 400 sportspersons from 12 divisions of forest department are expected to participate in the 'Gir Ramatotsav 2014' being organized by late Shri Shaktisinh Visana Memoral Gir Forest Staff Welfare Association and Wildlife Division of Sasan Gir from January 24 to 26.

The main objectives of the programme is to develop the physical fitness of the forest department staff that is working for protection and conservation of Asiatic lions, to provide an opportunity to show their sport skills and to motivate and provide opportunities to develop relations with other staff members working on the same objectives. Ramatotsav 2014 will have both individuals and group sports.

New lion roars into Jerusalem zoo.

By Stuart Winer January 23, 2014, 8:53 am

Young male Asiatic lion Gir replaces aged Lider, who died last year

The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo was preparing on Thursday to receive a new male lion, due to arrive in Israel on an evening cargo plane flight from Sweden.

Zoo authorities said that the rare Asiatic lion, named Gir, is just 2 years of age and has not yet grown a full mane. Nonetheless, Chief Carnivore Keeper Dennis Smith is taking no chances with introducing the big cat to his new home at the zoo, where he will join Ileniya, an elderly lioness who is 16 years old.

The lions will be kept apart at first to prevent any super-size cat fights, although a window between their rooms will allow them to see each other, giving keepers an idea of whether or not they can be let out to roam together. However, even that is not always a clear indication of what will happen once they get their paws on each other.

“It is still a bit risky,” Smith said.

Last summer the zoo’s veteran male Asiatic lion Lider, 16, was put to sleep after veterinarians and keepers decided that his difficulties in walking and standing, brought on by chronic back pain, were insufferable.

Gir, who weighs over 150 kilograms, may soon have a playmate nearer his age. Asiatic lions are an endangered species, with only around 300 left in the Gir Forest Sanctuary in India and another 330 in captivity. Zoos around the world are engaged in a breeding program to try to save the faltering species from extinction.

The Jerusalem zoo has already begun searching for a possible mate to join him in the summer in the hope that they will breed.

However, with the relatively small number of Asiatic lions available — by comparison there are over 1,600 African lions in captivity — inbreeding is common and as a result many of the animals have genetic disorders affecting their health.

Lider himself was born sterile as a result and an illness that afflicted his nervous system was likely brought on by genetic problems.

Due to their small numbers, Asiatic lions in Europe and the region are coordinated by the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists, which tries to pair up breeding lions.

Gir’s new environment will include an outside area to explore, and a heated room to keep off the winter chill.

Read more: New lion roars into Jerusalem zoo | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/at-jerusalem-zoo-new-lion-roaring-into-zion/#ixzz2rIixYbuc
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Goods train mows down 2 lionesses near Gir forest.

Thursday, Jan 23, 2014, 9:32 IST | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

Locals and conservationists blame it on rampant development in lion corridor.

The site where the mishap took place is around 40km from the Gir forest, but the movement of lions is regularly witnessed in the area

Two lionesses were mowed down by a speeding goods train near the Gir forest on Wednesday morning. The accident on the Surendranagar Pipavav port rail line — a cub was mowed down by a train on the same route last year — has raised questions about the safety of Asiatic lions in the state.

Gujarat houses the last surviving population of Asiatic lions and the state government claims to have done a lot in conserving this endangered species.

The lionesses were hit by a Pipavav Port-bound train between Dehra and Pasada villages in Rajula taluka of Amreli district. The site where the mishap took place is around 35-40 kms from the Gir forest, but the movement of lions is regularly witnessed in the area.

Last year, a cub died in a similar incident on the route. A leopard was also killed in a similar manner on the tracks.

“We have taken the statement of the goods train driver, who said the lions dashed in front of the train and they couldn’t stop it on time,” said divisional forest officer JK Makwana . On reports that the lioness was pregnant, Makwana said he is yet to get the post-mortem report and hence can’t comment.

A couple of lions were mowed down by a train in the Sasan forest area about 15 years ago, following which trains on the rail line were cautioned to move at a slow pace, which resulted in minimising such accidents there.

“We will try to find out solutions to this problem by having consultations with all those involved,” deputy forest officer JK Makwana said.

Villagers who reported the incident blame rampant development in the lion corridor for the accident.

“The area has seen rampant development. Mines and ports have come up. It is home to close to 60 lions and is outside the sanctuary and forest area. This was a tragedy waiting to happen.
Unlike in Gir Sanctuary, the forest officials don’t patrol the area much. If no concrete steps are taken, such incidents will continue to happen,” said Dinesh Goswami of Prakruti Nature Club.  He said development in the area will eventually bring the lions in conflict with people.

“There are heavy vehicles including loaders moving in the area. I have personally seen lions close to such areas,” said Mangabhai Thapa — a resident of the village who was among the first to reach the lion accident site.

It should be noted that safety of lions is the primary argument on which the state government has been opposing translocation of the animal to Madhya Pradesh. The state government has often cited MP’s poor record in protecting its own tigers but such accidents may end up weakening the state’s stance.

Chief Wildlife Warden CN Pandey said the incident happened outside the sanctuary and the forest area. “It was revenue land on which the incident happened. We will be having talks with the railways about what can be done to prevent such incidents in the state,” said Pandey. He too agreed that though not a forest area, it is home to several lions.

Goswami said the lions have moved to the coastal areas which have seen rapid development. “There is rampant mining happening there and soon we will see a new sort of conflict. We need to do something before it is too late,” said Goswami.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-goods-train-mows-down-2-lionesses-near-gir-forest-1955529

Two leopard cubs trapped by villagers in Surat.

Yagnesh Mehta,TNN | Jan 19, 2014, 07.03 PM ISTSURAT: Two leopard cubs were trapped by villagers of Pipariya village of Mandvi taluka in Surat district and handed over to forest officials on Saturday. The cubs were around two to three months old and were in good health condition when found.

Farmers Amit Patel and Chirag Patel nabbed the leopard cubs from their farm and informed forest officials. Arriving on spot the forest officials took custody of the cubs and attempts are being made to cage the mother leopard.

The attempts to nab the leopard have been continuing in the village since the first week of January. Earlier villagers spotted the two cubs while working in the fields. One of the cubs was nabbed by villagers and on being informed, forest officials placed a cage to trap the mother leopard. The forest officials failed to trap the mother leopard after which the leopard cub was released back into the farms.

Since then the forest officials were attempting to cage the female leopard which has given birth to the cubs in the farm. Farm labourers in the village have refused to go to the farms for routine work since then, fearing leopard attack. Due to reduction in forest area the leopards have started living in farms around villages in south Gujarat over the last few years.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/Two-leopard-cubs-trapped-by-villagers-in-Surat/articleshow/29063061.cms