Cat fights

Gujarat’s refusal to part with Gir lions is churlish. MP’s decision to introduce zoo-bred lions into forests is unwise
By: Editorials | Published:September 1, 2017 12:36 am

Madhya Pradesh has waited for nearly two decades for lions to roar at the Kuno-Palpur National Park. In the 1990s, wildlife experts felt that confining the Asiatic Lion to the Gir National Park in Gujarat was not a good idea. The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, carried out surveys to find a second home for the beast and recommended shifting some of the felines to Kuno. But the Gujarat government has termed the big cat as the “pride” of the state, and refused to share them with MP. An exasperated MP government has now decided to breed lion cubs in zoos and shift them to Kuno.
Till the late 19th century, the Asiatic lion roamed large parts of North India, as far east as what is today Bihar, with the Narmada river marking the southern limit of its range. But indiscriminate hunting and large-scale conversion of forests into farms and human-settlements proved to be the animal’s doom. By the early 20th century, the deciduous forests of Gir were the Asiatic lion’s only home. In 1913, the chief forest officer of Junagadh reported that there were only 20 of the majestic animals left in Gir. Since then, conservation efforts have not only saved the animal from extinction but resulted in a significant increase in their population. At the last census in 2015, the lions in Gir numbered 523.
Wildlife experts, however, believe that a disease outbreak or a natural disaster like a forest fire in the animal’s only home could undo the conservation achievements of the past 100 years. However, Gujarat does not want to part with its lions. Conservation has taken a further backseat with the MP government’s proposal to the Centre to allow Kuno to source cubs from zoos. The lion cubs will have to compete with other predators hardened with the ways of the forest. It is anybody’s guess how they will fare.
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/cat-fights-madhya-pradesh-lions-kuno-palpur-national-park-4823018/

Attend a lecture on the crisis of Asiatic lion at NCPA this evening

By Snigdha Hasan | Mumbai | Posted 30-Aug-2017
Attend a lecture that highlights how the Asiatic lion is facing a crisis, even as conservation efforts are focused on the Royal Bengal tiger


When it comes to the narrative of saving the big cats, the focus has remained largely on tigers, and justifiably so, given their dwindling numbers. But on the IUCN Red List, both, the Royal Bengal tiger and Asiatic lion feature in the endangered category. While there are 2,500 Bengal tigers left in the world, the number for the latter, according to a latest report, is about 650.
The animal, which has been a symbol of strength since the time Emperor Ashoka built his Lion Capital in Sarnath, now stands on the verge of extinction. What brought this subspecies to this stage? The fourth Vimal Shah Memorial Lecture, organised by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in collaboration with The Museum Society of Mumbai, explores such critical questions. Titled Asia’s Lions in the Past and the Present, the talk by Dr Divyabhanusinh Chavda will highlight the reasons for their dwindling numbers, the current status and future.

Dr Divyabhanusinh Chavda

Author of the book, The Story of Asia’s Lions, Dr Chavda, apart from holding other distinctions, is former president of World Wide Fund for Nature India and member of the National Board for Wildlife.

“The history of human-lion interaction goes back to prehistoric times. Today, the population of Asiatic lions has been decimated beyond Saurashtra,” he reveals.
Read on for a few interesting facts:
> Asiatic lions roamed from Palestine in the West to Palamau in India in the East. Today, they have been exterminated from almost the entire continent, and can be found only in the Saurashtra peninsula.

A commemorative stamp dated 1963. Pic courtesy/istampgallery.com
> According to estimates, at the beginning of the 20th century, the lion population had come down to about 100, due to royal hunting expeditions common in those days.
> Conservation efforts began during the time of the British (but it depended on the predisposition of the official in charge), and strengthened after India achieved freedom.
> In 1963, five commemorative stamps featuring the Asiatic lion, gaur (Indian bison), Himalayan panda, Bengal tiger and Indian elephant were released under the Wildlife Preservation series.
> The population has increased — it was 523 in 2015 and is over 650 today. This increase in number — with no corresponding increase in the size of the habitat — means that more than half the lions are roaming in spaces that are far away from the Gir forest.
> This increases the possibility of lion-human encounters, which puts the animal at further risk.
> Scope needs to be expanded to protecting the corridors. Simultaneously, areas beyond Gir, where the lions have settled in significant numbers must be turned into safe havens.
On Today, 6 pm
At Auditorium, Visitors Centre, CSMVS, Fort.
Call 22844484
Also catch
A wildlife documentary

Watch Bastion of the Giants, a 2015 documentary by Sumesh Lekhi that takes you into the dense forests of West Bengal and tall grasses of Assam to discover the lives of the Asian elephant. The film also highlights the need to conserve the pachyderm in the time of increasing man-animal conflict and climate change. The screening is in collaboration with Indian Documentary Producers’ Association.
On Today, 6.30 pm
At Little Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Call 66223737

http://www.mid-day.com/articles/lifestyle-mumbai-events-lecture-documentary-screening-asiatic-lion-ncpa-culture/18541196

As Gujarat herds its big cats, MP looks for zoo lions

Experts not sure of plan, say no precedent

Written by Milind Ghatwai | Bhopal | Published:August 30, 2017 4:31 am

Gir lions were supposed to get an alternative home in Madhya Pradesh

Gujarat’s refusal to part with its Gir lions despite court orders has forced Madhya Pradesh to propose an alternative: source cubs and lions from zoos across the country for translocation to Kuno Palpur in Sheopur district. For more than two decades, the Gujarat government has scuttled the translocation conceived in the 1990s by the Central government, at the instance of the Wildlife Institute of India, to create a second home for Asiatic lions outside Gir.
In 2014, the Supreme Court threw out a curative petition by the Gujarat government, the last legal recourse available before it to stall the translocation, but the state has managed to avoid shifting, citing absence of one study or the other. The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh too hasn’t shown much keenness in pushing for execution of the project.
Calling the new idea ‘Plan B’, Madhya Pradesh Chief Wildlife Warden Jitendra Agrawal told The Indian Express that a proposal has been sent to the Centre to allow the state to source cubs and lions from zoos. “It’s a long-drawn process that will begin only after the Centre and experts give the go-ahead after recommending some studies,” he said.
In May, Agrawal wrote to the state government, saying, “Despite an order from the Supreme Court and six meetings of the expert committee set up for the purpose, the chances of translocation of Asiatic lions are very dim in the near future.”
He further wrote that cubs born in Indore zoo could be shifted to Kuno Palpur and kept in an enclosure with the permission of the Central Zoo Authority. This can be followed by sourcing cubs and lions from other zoos and a family could be established in Kuno Palpur, he added.
In the communication to the Centre, Madhya Pradesh cited its experience in releasing orphaned hand-reared tiger cubs in the wild, to bolster its case for shifting lions. In the past, Madhya Pradesh has shifted orphaned tiger cubs to other parks and trained them to hunt by developing their wild instincts gradually. “In the 1990s, we did not have such expertise, which we now have,” Agrawal said.
But experts and activists are not sure of the Madhya Pradesh plan, and point out that it defeats the very purpose of the project, which was to ensure longevity of the Gir lions. “It’s difficult to relocate zoo-bred lions in the wild. I don’t think there is any precedent. It’s in the best interest of Asiatic lions to have an alternative population outside Gir,” noted wildlife conservationist Belinda Wright pointed out.
She also said that relocation of tiger cubs and zoo-bred lion cubs couldn’t be compared. “They were born to mothers in the wild and reared in virtual isolation. Their genes were pure, unlike those of zoo-bred animals.”
Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey slammed the MP government for “surrendering” before Gujarat and showing no political will to even get a judicial order executed. “Gujarat has no legal option left and yet it’s delaying translocation. Even lions in Gir are vulnerable due to in-breeding. Getting zoo lions will defeat the very purpose of the project,” he said. He also pointed out that hundreds of crores have been spent on creating infrastructure at Kuno Palpur, in relocating villagers outside the reserve, and in research and vaccination.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/as-gujarat-herds-its-big-cats-mp-looks-for-zoo-lions-4820023/

Maharashtra forest department goof up: SNGP is home to African lion and jaguar

By Ranjeet Jadhav | Mumbai | Posted 29-Aug-2017

The leopard
Animal conservationists in the city were surprised when the Maharashtra Forest Department shared a picture collage of the rich and varied wildlife present at Borivli's Sanjay Gandhi National Park on Twitter recently.
If the tweet is to be believed, the park is home to jaguars and African lions. While this is far from the truth, the real inhabitant — the leopard — is missing.
The ill-informed tweet, they said, smacks of ignorance on part the state's apex forest body.

How they got it wrong
On August 21, @MahaForest – the official twitter handle of the Maharashtra Forest Department – tweeted a collage of 16 pictures, captioning it Animals at Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The collage shows the four-horned antelope, jaguar, hyena and African lion, among the animals residing at the park.

The collage tweeted by the Maharashtra Forest Department, on August 21
While the jaguar looks a lot like the leopard, it is not native to India. The spots found on a jaguar are different from the rosette pattern, a rose-like formation, found on the leopard.
Also, while there have been records of hyenas being found at SGNP that date back 20 years, with no recent evidence of the same. Wildlife researchers involved in the camera-trapping exercise at SGNP, have also confirmed the fact. And then the final blunder —tigers and lions portrayed as residents of SGNP.
Also Read: Mumbai: Baby shower in SGNP as Bijlee is set to become a mommy
The big cats don't live in the wild at SGNP and are kept in closed enclosures for public viewing as part of the SGNP safari. The lion in the collage is an African lion, and not the Asian lion, native to Gir forest and currently, in captivity at the park.
Fortunately, the collage got a few inmates right. These include the spotted deer, Indian hare, black-naped monarch, flying fox, Indian porcupine, sambar and langur.
'It was a mistake'
When contacted, an official from the department, who did not wish to be named, said, "The jaguar picture is an error; it looks very similar to the leopard. The person handling the official account of state Forest Department should have been more careful."
Mumbai-based wildlife researcher Rajesh Sanap, said, "The SGNP has rich biodiversity, but this collage is misleading and ridden with errors. Before tweeting the picture, the person assigned the job of looking after the handle should have cross-checked with a wildlife expert. It's the perfect way to spread misinformation among the public."
Despite attempts, State Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and Forest Secretary Vikas Kharge were unavailable for comment.
Also Read: Mumbai tragedy! Injured jackal chokes to death while eating too fast
Not the first time
On October 15, 2013, mid-day had reported that the Thane forest department had put up posters in Aarey Milk Colony, listing precautions that resi­de­nts should take in case of man-leopard conflict. The images us­ed for representation was that of a cheetah, now extinct in India

http://www.mid-day.com/articles/maharashtra-forest-department-goof-up-sngp-is-home-to-african-lion-and-jaguar-mumbai-news/18538152

Two lions injured in duel over territory

Tushar Prabhune | TNN | Updated: Aug 27, 2017, 19:54 IST

Local lion trackers found that one of the injured lions was from the near-by Rajula range and it had ventured near Khambha.

RAJKOT: Two adult Asiatic lions were injured following a fierce duel, reportedly over territory, near Khambha town of Amreli district on Saturday night.

Residents of Baar Patoli village of Gir sanctuary's Tulsishyam range called up the forest department in Khambha early on Sunday morning when they spotted the lions lying injured on a hillock nearby.

"Some people heard loud roars in the night and later in the morning, some villagers even spotted the two lions lying injured on the Tetar hillock," said a forest department official. Local lion trackers found that one of the injured lions was from the nearby Rajula range and it had ventured near Khambha. "This would have enraged the lion staying on the hillock and both got engaged in a fierce fight," the official said.

Staff from Khambha and Rajula forest departments have placed cages with bait inside to capture the lions so that they are given medical treatment for the wounds. 

Sources said they are avoiding tranquilizing them as the nature of injuries is not ascertained. "It was difficult to capture them as both lions kept moving about from their place. At times they even slip behind the bushes, making it difficult to spot them," said sources.

Forest officials are now hoping that they come near the cages in the night and get captured.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/two-lions-injured-in-duel-over-territory/articleshow/60246363.cms

Plastic free enclosure awaits hyenas at city zoo

TNN | Updated: Aug 27, 2017, 10:49 IST

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While city corporation is forcing residents to abandon use of plastic carry bags, the city zoo authorities are also on a similar mission but with a slightly different motive.

The zoo authorities who are awaiting the arrival of a new pair of hyenas from Kanpur zoo have ensured that there is not a single trace of plastic in the newly made animal enclosures.

The reason being the fact that the zoo had lost three hyenas in 2011 after they had consumed portions of garden hose pipe made of plastic.

Ever since the arrival of hyenas was confirmed, the authorities removed all plastic pipes from the enclosure. Even the drain that runs by the enclosure which they thought could carry any kind of plastic has been thoroughly cleared. The hyenas are expected to arrive in the city zoo by Monday.

"We have been extremely cautious to avoid any kind of plastic materials within or near the enclosure. Even the flow of drain is being monitored so that it does not carry unwanted materials which could be a potential threat to animals," said a zoo official.

A nine-member-team had gone to Kanpur zoo to get the hyenas in exchange for Rhea birds.

The zoo authorities are also banking on a proposal from Jaipur zoo for another pair of hyenas again in exchange for eight Rhea birds.

Nandankanan Zoological Park, Bhubhaneshwar has also expressed interest in acquiring Rhea birds and the city zoo officials haven't finalised what animal to be obtained in exchange.

The zoo which has been carrying out breeding programme for the exotic flightless bird Rhea is now receiving requests from various zoos for exchange programmes.

The zoo has been hatching Rhea chicks through incubation for the last two years. A secondary source of chicks is also being kept at Thrissur zoo.

The authorities have also completed formalities to get Asiatic lion from Hyderabad in exchange for a lion-tailed macaque.

Meanwhile the plans to execute overseas exchange programmes to get giraffe have been caught in technicalities, said zoo officials.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/plastic-free-enclosure-awaits-hyenas-at-city-zoo/articleshow/60238759.cms

MP says no to lions from Gujarat

Himanshu Kaushik and P Naveen | TNN | Updated: Aug 24, 2017, 12:20 PM IST

Highlights

The MP govt has made a move to source lions from zoos across India for the newly prepped sanctuary spread over 344 sq km.

• The move comes following Gujarat’s reluctance to part with its lions
• The MP forest dept wants Asiatic lions from various zoos in order to create a separate gene pool of lions which is distinct from Gujarat lions.(TOI file photo for representation only)
  
  AHMEDABAD/BHOPAL: With Gujarat showing no signs of parting with its lions in the wild to be translocated to Kuno Palpur despite a 2014 Supreme Court order, the Madhya Pradesh government has made a move to source lions from zoos across India for the newly prepped sanctuary spread over 344 sq km.

Ironically, the neighbouring state has underscored it does not want lions from Gujarat zoos.

In a proposal to the Centre, the MP forest department has sought lions from various zoos across the country barring Gujarat. The proposal cites that the MP forest department wants Asiatic lions from various zoos in order to create a separate gene pool of lions which is distinct from Gujarat lions.

Jitendra Agarwal, chief wildlife warden of MP, told TOI, "When the translocation project was conceived, the plan A was to introduce lions from the wild of Sasan Gir in Gujarat to Kuno Palpur while plan B was to introduce lions from the zoos.

With plan A not really working out, we have requested the Union government to put plan B in motion. The government has informed us that a meeting of the expert group on translocation would be soon held to decide on the matter".

Top officials in MP told TOI the Centre was specifically requested not to consider lions from any zoo in Gujarat. "Given Gujarat's reluctance to part with its lions, there is a possibility that the state government may not approve the relocation of lions from zoo as well," the official said.

Forest officials conceded that while the expert committee on lion translocation termed Kuno Palpur as "best suited" sanctuary due to adequate flora-fauna and prey base, Gujarat has been dragging its feet to part with its wildlife.

"Only seven meetings for translocation were held in four years, the action plan for reintroduction of lions in Kuno Palpur is yet to approved and Gujarat continues to raise objections and demand a series of more studies. This forced us to consider to bring zoobred lions."

Forest officials in Gujarat when contacted said they are not aware of any such proposal by MP.

Gir in Gujarat is the last abode of Asiatic lion with 523 lions as per 2015 census. The idea behind the Kuno-Palpur project was to raise a buffer population of wild lions as an insurance against epidemics or natural disasters wiping out the Gir lions. To substantiate their claims of releasing zoo big cats in wild, MP has stated that they have the experience to reintroducing orphaned tiger cubs in the wild after raising them and making them expert hunters.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/mp-says-no-to-lions-from-gujarat/articleshow/60199409.cms

With Gujarat reluctant to share its wild lions, MP eyes zoos

IANS  |  New Delhi  Last Updated at August 23, 2017 11:22 IST

With no sign of Gujarat parting with its free-ranging Asiatic lions for reintroduction and conservation purposes, the Madhya Pradesh forest department is now eyeing lions and cubs from zoos for its Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary.
Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have been locked in a legal battle over the issue for the past few years, with latter loath to part with its lions.

The Madhya Pradesh government has now sent a proposal to the Centre requesting its Plan B be considered to get pure breed Asiatic lion's cubs from different zoos and form a pride at Kuno to raise them as free-ranging animals, officials told IANS.
Plan A was to rehabilitate wild lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh.
"The state government has sent proposal to the Government of India that its expert committee must consider Plan B," a senior forest official told IANS on condition of anonymity. The official added that this is, however, not the dead-end of the plan to obtain wild lions from Gujarat.
In a note sent in June 2017, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Madhya Pradesh, proposed to seek permission of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) to translocate two cubs born this year at Indore Zoo.
The note says that despite the apex court's orders and six meetings of the expert committee, the reintroduction of Asiatic lions has not moved forward.
"Madhya Pradesh has experience of reintroducing orphaned tiger cubs in the wild after raising them and making them expert hunters. At present the lion cubs at Indore zoo have matured and developed immunity," said a note by the PCCF, Jitendra Agarwal.
The note further proposes to seek permission from CZA, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to implement the state's Plan B.
However, Plan B, according to experts, "fails" to meet the original mandate, which was the concern to save this rare species from an epidemic or natural disaster leading to its complete wipeout.
Gujarat's Gir forest is the only home to free-ranging or wild Asiatic lions.
Often considered over-populated, the numbers at Gir are increasing at an impressive rate, with 523 felines in 2016 to 650 in a recently conlcuded census.
The WII had, in 1989, pushed for a second natural habitat -- Madhya Pradesh -- for the Asiatic lions for their long-term conservation.
"The objective was to protect the wild free-ranging lions of Gir and not to raise the breed in captivity in a wildlife sanctuary. The stubbornness of Gujarat can lead to disasterous results," wildlife activist Ajay Dube told IANS.
He added that the lions in Gir are also vulnerable to genetic disorders caused by "in-family breeding" due to high density, which is already affecting their immunity.
The Supreme Court in April 2013 ordered "immediate" re-introduction of lions to Kuno from Gir.
The court had then also fixed a six-month deadline for a committee responsible for accomplishing the mission under the central government's Additional Director General of Forest Wildlife.
However, even though Kuno was customised to hold nearly 40 lions, not a single feline has been moved to the sanctuary.
(Kushagra Dixit can be reached at kushagra.d@ians.in)
--IANS
kd/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/with-gujarat-reluctant-to-share-its-wild-lions-mp-eyes-zoos-117082300288_1.html