Gir's lions need a second home to survive

17-4-07

The Telegraph - By Mahesh Rangarajan

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070417/asp/opinion/story_7643995.asp

The recent poaching of six lions for claws in the Gir forest has led to calls for better policing and protection. The immediate response of both the Union and the Gujarat state governments has been on expected lines.

 

So far, so good. But what next? To learn better how to protect and safeguard the lion, it is necessary to ask why it is a dim memory across so much of its historic range.

 

Just two centuries ago, the species had a range across much of north and central India. It is not widely known that later Mughal rulers like Shah Alam II hunted lions on elephant-back in the region now comprising Haryana. In the aftermath of the Great Rebellion of 1857, a British officer, George Acland Smith, shot as many as 300. Of these, over 50 were shot within a day’s horse ride out of the old imperial capital of Delhi.

 

By the turn of the earlier century, the prides that had roamed the grasslands and the scrub jungles of the subcontinent for millennia had vanished. Some were shot by trophy-hunters equipped with better, long-range rifles. Others were poisoned by their owners, whose antagonism was further fuelled by the rich bounties offered for the great beasts by the new British rulers. The princes and maharajahs did their share of polishing off what was left. Even before much of its dry grassland home in the plains was converted to cultivation, the big cat had vanished.

 

The Gir hills of the Kathiawar peninsula were one place where a few survived. They survived, but only just. From the late 19th century, a most unusual bond grew up between the Babi Pathan dynasty that ruled over Junagadh and the lions of the Gir forest. Efforts to protect them from the hunter’s bullet and the poison of the irate cattle-owner were unusual for a time when all carnivores were seen by rulers (British or princely) as evil incarnate.

 

But about 1900, such protection is exactly what the lions got. A few were still shot, but only large males with big manes. The lionesses and cubs, and most of their male kin, were under formal princely protection. When Ranji, the famous prince of Nawanagar, shot a lioness in an adjacent range outside the territory of Junagadh, he came under widespread criticism.

 

The engaging story is well told in a recent work by Divyabhanusinh. The Story of Asia’s Lions, as he calls it, is not merely a tale from ages past. On not one but two occasions, the species had a brush with the spirits. The first was at the time of independence, when the nawab fled to Pakistan. The aarzi hukumat or people’s government under Samaldas Gandhi (a nephew of the Mahatma) had other, more pressing tasks. But intervention by Jawaharlal Nehru, in February 1948, got the government to act. Pickets were put up, and the protection against trigger-happy hunters remained in place. The lions had won a lease of life.

 

Yet, Gir was more than a forest of the lions, the only ones left in the wild in all of Asia. There was a slow-burning conflict with the buffalo herding maldharis, a people who have long made the Gir their home. Cultivation nibbled away the valley floors, while deer and wild boar became increasingly rare. Predation on cattle led to intense conflicts with people.

 

It was under president’s rule in 1974 that a Gir lion project got under way. It is largely due to the protection of the prey, predator and the habitat that the lion and the forest staged a remarkable recovery. Research by scholars like Ravi Chellam was to show later, and decisively, how the lions turned from preying on buffaloes to deer as the latter grew in number.

 

While accepting encomiums for the remarkable success story, the government and the people of Gujarat have been deeply conscious of how special their prides are. Nowhere else in Asia are there lions in the wild. In the pre-independence period, the rulers of Junagadh and a few adjoining states took great pride and joy in “their” lions. Already by the time Nehru sent his urgent telegram to the local administration, Gujaratis in cities like Ahmedabad were seeing the lion as a distinctive symbol of their region. About a quarter century later, it was also declared the state animal of Gujarat.

 

Therein lies the nub of today’s problem. The name for the lion in India is not the Asian lion (as elsewhere in the world) or the Indian lion (as often described before 1972, when it was displaced by the tiger as the national animal). It is known simply as the Gir lion.

 

The problem is that the very regional pride that has helped save the animals has now become a hindrance to their future. Nowhere is this as clear as in the near total opposition to relocating a small number of lions to a second home in central India’s Kuno wildlife sanctuary.

 

One of Narendra Modi’s predecessors, Shankersinh Vagehla, once told a journalist that he would not even part with a single lion cub, let alone a lion. Since then, attitudes have hardened. The Gujarat government is considering the re-introduction of lions in the Barda hills in the Saurashtra peninsula. It is, however, not willing to consider parting with a few lions for a second home outside the state.

 

Regionalism, once a valued ally, can also be immune to reason. The lions of Gir are vulnerable to epidemics like tick fever that resulted in the death of over a thousand lions in Tanzania’s famous Serengeti in the early Nineties.

 

Neither a chief ministerial visit, as Narendra Modi’s within days of the recent poaching incidents, nor the newly established Wild- life Crime Cell will be of much help were a disease to strike the lions.

 

If anything, Gujarat could take a leaf out of the pages of another state known for its regional nationalism: Assam. A small number of rhinos translocated to Dudwa in Uttar Pradesh helped repopulate a part of their range.

 

The lions of Gir do not just face threats from poachers. Their habitat needs protection. The Vanishing Herds Foundation, funded by expatriate Gujaratis has done commendable work in covering wells that often become death traps. The Gir Wildlife Club has mobilized youngsters along the rim of the forest to become nature-lovers. Yet, the easing of restrictions on vehicle entry to pilgrimage sites in the forest, like the famous Kankai Mata temple, disturb the habitat.

 

Above all, the saga of the Gir lions raises a question that lies at the very heart of conservation. Protection of rare fauna or landscapes, the lions of Gir or the rhinos of Assam, has often gained from regionalism. There are examples of this in other nation-states. The gorillas of Rwanda, for instance, were safe even in the fratricidal civil war of the mid-Nineties.

 

Yet, that very sense of regional pride can be the cause of a fall. In the case of the last of Asia’s lions, there is little doubt that a second home will ensure their survival. Gir will always be their first home. It need not be their only one.

 

The last century saw not one but two remarkable conservation success stories with the lions. It is time to launch a new venture, one that gives them not just a second habitat but also the guarantee of survival.

 

The author is an independent researcher whose most recent work is an edited volume, Environmental Issues in India

DNA fingerprinting of Asiatic lions on the anvil

22-4-07

The Hindu

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200704221653.htm

 

Ahmedabad, April. 22 (PTI): In an attempt to keep a close track of endangered Asiatic lions found only in Gujarat's Gir sanctuary, authorities have decided to maintain DNA profiles and fingerprints of the big cats.

 

This important measure is being taken after six lions were killed for their body parts in March within the sanctuary in Junagadh district of Saurashtra region, forest department officials said today.

 

"Forest rangers and forensic experts are busy collecting samples of the dead animals so that DNA profiling and fingerprinting can be done for the future," a senior forest department official said.

 

When any animal is found dead in the sanctuary it will be easier to determine if it is an Asiatic lion once a DNA profile and fingerprint database is created, the official explained.

 

It may also throw more light on poaching cases as investigating officials have not made any major breakthrough apart from arresting some labourers from Madhya Pradesh suspected to be part of a poaching gang. They are not the masterminds behind the killings, the official said.

It is high time to take the stock of remaining Asiatic Lions

It is high time to take the stock of remaining lions

 

Three lion bodies were found on 3^rd March. Three more found on 30^th March which was at a distance of 6- 7 km from the place of first incidence. But two more found on 14^th April were at Bhavnagar district which is at a distance of 100 Km from Gir!!

 

In all the three incidences exactly the same modus operandi of killing is used. First animals are caught by traps and then killed by inserting poisonous spears. Once the animals are dead poachers professionally (brutally!) cut the bodies, boiled the body parts in hot water and buried them inside the land for few days to separate flesh from the bones. They preserved claws in salt water.

 

Poachers had hidden traps and cleaned body parts like bones, skin, and claws (that were not sent away) in an underground hall which was accessed from main person’s tent. The access is in the form of a small tunnel (similar to a mouse burrow) below the floor carpet. The main boss would put his hands through this tunnel and get the things when needed. This is what Police found while digging the river bed in Una where the gangs had lodged.

 

Arrested MP poachers are in big numbers (18 – 20) with females and children. They tried to camouflage by selling balloons, toys etc. When caught, they tried to act as poor to gain sympathy.

 

Above all they bear typical characteristics of Katni poachers and that is what exactly investigating officials have found out. Now let us also look at some more dangerous characteristics and style of operating of these Katni poachers.

 

Katni gangs have been found to be involved in poaching throughout India. Basically poaching is their bread - butter and survival.

 

From cases of tiger & other wild animals poaching in MP, Rajasthan and North India, where Katnis are involved, it is learnt that that these gangs strike in many separate groups of 10- 20 each and that too in different areas of jungle. So far in our poaching case only two separate groups are found and that too 100 km apart from each other.

 

A Million Dollar question is how many groups were involved and how many areas in our forest did they operate in?

 

Last poaching incidence was unearthed only after the villagers accidentally found it. At the same few gang members were arrested by coincidence by Bhavnagar Police. The gang was found first and then the mutilated bodies. Gang showed the place of buried remains.

 

This again poses another pertinent question; how many incidences are still not found nor are unnoticed where gangs have already done their job, buried the remains and escaped?

 

Past history confirms that where ever Katnis operate or strike, animals are just wiped off within couple of months. Eg. Sariska.

 

The crucial question is how many of our lions they have killed or what is the total damage?

 

At the same time, in last couple of years there have been many incidences of natural deaths, deaths due to open well accidents and electrocution. 

 

Taking into consideration all of the above, it is utmost necessary to find out how many of our precious lions have we lost, by conducting a lion census. We cannot excavate the whole forest neither buried dead bodies will transmit signal nor escaped Katnis will come back to tell us how many have they killed. A full census of whole of Gir and satellite areas of Jesar-:Palitana-Bhavnagar, Hipavadli, Mityala, Diu & coastal forests is the urgent need of the hour. Forest officials did try head count but that was only in Babariya range. Although full census is a big exercise, time consuming and expensive, it is of paramount importance at this crucial time. Let us take stock of our lions to find out are they 359 (last census figure) or 259?

 

Today in the news papers I read that Central Govt. Committee who visited Gir for appraisal of incidences may instruct our Govt. to conduct census. Why don’t we declare the census before they tell us to do so? This would be an added benefit to show that we do care.

 

Kishore Kotecha

Wildlife Conservation Trust of India

Rajkot

May Day deadline for poacher hunters!

Times of India By-Sourav Mukherjee

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Ahmedabad/May_Day_deadline_for_poacher_hunters/articleshow/1947020.cms

 

GANDHINAGAR: Lion killings in Gir have assumed priority status in Narendra Modi’s scheme of things. The reason being that Modi has picked Junagadh, the heart of lion territory, as the venue to celebrate the 48th foundation day of Gujarat on May 1, and he does not want the poaching incidents to ruin his party.

 

The three poaching incidents of Asiatic lions in Junagadh and Bhavnagar,which claimed the lives of eight lions, and the failure of the police to come up with any substantial breakthrough, has the political establishment worried. It can’t even blame Madhya Pradesh, where the poachers come from, because the neighbouring state is also BJP-ruled.

 

Now the police have been issued stern instructions to find the kingpins before May Day. But the police is caught in a bind; it cannot chase the Maldharis (cattle rearers), who may have vital leads in the case, beyond a point. On Sunday, Modi dressed up as a Maldhari and addressed a congregation from Gir and Barda trying to convince them that they had a "gwala brother" in him at Gandhinagar.

 

The probe has thrown up little, except arrests of several women,while the male gang members are at large. The names of kingpins — Sarkashlal Singh of MP, animal hide dealers Sherkhan and Suraj Singh — are all that the police have to show. The claws and bones of the hunted lions have probably found their way out of the state.

 

A top police official said: "Junagadh being the focus on May 1, we are under pressure to bring the investigations to a logical conclusion." Police teams are trying to track the kingpins in MP and Rajasthan but tension is mounting as time ticks away. After all, nobody in the government would like to hear the slogan " Dekho dekho kaun aaya , Gujarat ka nakli sher aaya ", on May 1.

DNA fingerprinting of lions

22-04-07

Chennai Online

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7bE58420C8-CA01-46D4-9656-B2369B418BAA%7d&CATEGORYNAME=NATL

 

Ahmedabad, April 22: In an attempt to keep a close track of endangered Asiatic lions found only in Gujarat's Gir sanctuary, authorities have decided to maintain DNA profiles and fingerprints of the big cats.

 

This important measure is being taken after six lions were killed for their body parts in March within the sanctuary in Junagadh district of Saurashtra region, forest department officials said today.

 

"Forest rangers and forensic experts are busy collecting samples of the dead animals so that DNA profiling and fingerprinting can be done for the future," a senior forest department official said.

 

When any animal is found dead in the sanctuary it will be easier to determine if it is an Asiatic lion once a DNA profile and fingerprint database is created, the official explained.

 

It may also throw more light on poaching cases as investigating officials have not made any major breakthrough apart from arresting some labourers from Madhya Pradesh suspected to be part of a poaching gang. They are not the masterminds behind the killings, the official said.

Compelling reasons to extend Gir

22-04-07

Times of India --Himanshu Kaushik

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Compelling_reasons_to_extend_Gir/articleshow/1940398.cms

 

BHAVNAGAR: Poaching in Gir is not the only worry for Gujarat government, the fear of shifting the lions out of Gujarat too is bothering it a lot. This has had the state government looking for alternative sites to spread the lion population. To begin with, the Shetrunji hills in Bhavnagar may turn out to be another suitable home for lions in the state.

 

Already, there is a move to develop Barda Dungar in Jamnagar as an alternative for Asiatic lions. The government has begun increasing the prey base in Barda Dungar.

 

Officials said that the state government had apprehensions that the Central team, on visit to look into in the poaching incidents, might submit an adverse report and might suggest that Gir was too small an area for the 359 lions. Hence, the government quickly identified another site in Jesar near Shetrunji hills in Bhavnagar district as an extension of the protested area. Principle chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Pradeep Khanna said, "The lion is reclaiming its lost territory, and this is an area we are considering for extending the sanctuary."

 

Jesar was a natural corridor for the lions moving from the Gir sanctuary. The lions move along the natural corridor which extends right upto Jesar. The site proposed as an extension has ample water sources, with the Shetrunji river flowing through it and a dam in the vicinity. The government now has to take measures to increase the prey base in the area.

 

Officials said that if the issue of shifting lions out of Gujarat does arise, the state government would project these sites as the alternatives for lion conservation. This area is not dense forest, its grassland, ideal as lion habitat. All that remains to be done is to increase the prey base in Jesar.

 

However, according to officials another big challenge the government might face here is that large parts of the alternative site area in private hands. According to official figures, currently there are 14 lions in the area. Villagers, on the other hand, say they have sighted four or five prides comprising at least 25 lions.

Poachers' produced before court after 7-day remand

22-04-07

Ahmedbad Newsline- Sibte Husain Bukhari

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=232787

 

Junagadh, April 21: THE seven-day remand period for the fourteen persons arrested from Una and Bhavnagar in connection with the lion poaching incident killing 8 lions in Gir forest and Bhavnagar district ended on Saturday.

 

The accused, who belong to a tribal gang from Madhya Pradesh and comprise of seven men and seven women, were produced before the first-class magistrate court, Una town on Saturday evening by the investigating agency CID(crime), which demanded a further 10-day remand. However, the order is awaited on that request.

 

Those arrested have been identified as Sherbai Adivasi, Sanajbai Darkara, Sarojbai Banuji, Ramkalibai Kashira, Ramkunwar, Mantasbai Kutar, Minsaribai Ujawan, Fatusing Aadiwasi, Khalangsing Kuresing, Jagmohan, Gidgon Kuresing, Gulrasing, Kutar Aadiwasi, and Mojarsing. Out of the 70 persons including men, women and minors detained by police in Una and Giragdhada town in Junagadh district and Bhavnagar railway station, 14 were arrested while the rest were sent to a juvenile home.

 

CID crime has been investigating the three poaching cases but hasn’t divulged any details about the probe’s progress since a month and a half.

The King is on the brink

22-04-07

The Hindu -JANARDHAN ROYE

http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/04/22/stories/2007042200090200.htm

 

AS long as can be remembered, the earthshaking roar of a mighty lion has made big and small creatures tremble or run away. Aristotle wrote about this phenomenon in the first millennium BC when travelling through the Balkans. King Xerxes of Persia, advancing towards Macedonia, stood stunned when the sound preceded an attack on his entourage's camels. Striking with their paws, the lions tore into the beasts of burden and bloodied the desert sands.

 

From early history, lions have been figures of authority. They have been celebrated in folklore, epic tales, religious texts, children's stories, and in a rich array of visual arts from Mauryan seals to Mughal paintings. Their strength and grace and power are upheld in India's national emblem, the Ashoka pillar. More than 2,000 years ago when the image was engraved into the pillar at Sarnath, Emperor Ashoka added a message advocating non-violence, tolerance and respect for all living creatures.

 

Unfortunately this message to respect and protect animals has been long lost in the winds of time. Even the best prides of lion haven't been able to survive the tumultuous changes in their environment and man's direct onslaughts. Perhaps the peak of such destruction was in the 19th century when shikars and adventure seekers went after the `royal game'.

 

Today the African lion is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and two of its subspecies, the Barbary lion and Cape lion, have long vanished. In India, a subspecies that split from the African lion some 100,000 years ago is facing an uncertain future.

 

The last of the Asiatic lions, Panthera leo persica, and its prey survive in the shrinking tracts of mixed dry deciduous and teak forests of Gir and its surroundings in Saurastra, Gujarat. Spread over 1,400 sq km, the habitat is home not just to the Asiatic lion but also to the highest concentration of top carnivores such as leopards, jungle cats, cheetahs, rusty spotted cat and the single largest concentration of marsh crocodiles in the country.

 

Amid them, throughout the forest, are dwellings, cultivated land and cattle of some 2,000 Maldharis or nomadic herders and small communities of `Siddhi' Muslims. The days when writer and photographer E.P. Gee observed young cubs accompany their parents on hunting forays are long gone. The jungle setting is fast changing even though it is now called the Gir National Park and Lion Sanctuary.

 

The forest is alive with the sounds of birdsong, wild creatures and insects. Often, you'll also hear the chugging of freight trains, trucks labouring in second gear, automobiles whizzing by, temple bells, chants and devotional music, jeeps ferrying tourists and the ubiquitous Bollywood din.

 

If these traumatic happenings are not enough, the denizens of Gir face other dangers and threats. Poachers prowl the sanctuary. A lucrative international market awaits blood, entrails, bones, claws, skull and every part of the lion. Hundreds of unguarded open wells act as traps. Vehicles on the seven state highways (totalling 600 km of road that criss-cross the sanctuary) and trains between Visavadar and Veraval (that pass through 15 km of the jungle) frequently mow down the lions.

 

Within the lion community, consanguinity is leading to genetic regression, low birth and high infant mortality. People have encroached into the habitat. With buildings and an unabated tourist and pilgrim flow, the tree cover has reduced considerably and impacted the numbers of chital, sambar, nilgai, hare and wild boar. Consequently, lions have less prey and often attack the Maldharis' livestock. Right from the Nawabi days, the cattle herders have been compensated for this loss.

 

In a bid to avoid man-animal conflict, the Gujarat Forest Department has been trying to relocate the forest people to specially allotted land outside the sanctuary. The herders are reluctant to abandon their traditional homes and animal husbandry practices. They find it difficult to adapt to agricultural life outside the forest, which is largely based on commercial agriculture — groundnuts, mango and cotton. The few Maldharis who have tried their hand at this have been unsuccessful. And their cattle grazing practices outside the forest have also come a cropper, as they have to deal with rough elements, encroachments and privatisation.

 

On the other hand, if the Maldharis do pack up and leave the sanctuary, the forest will be bereft of buffaloes that presently form about a third of the lion's `prey'. The cattle also contribute to the delicate forest ecosystem. The dung helps grass grow. And the grass sustains the buffaloes. As a result, the cattle herders are seen as an essential component of the Gir forest ecosystem.

 

But one of the world's foremost authorities on the Asiatic Lion, Dr. Ravi Chellam has another view. "Over the years, the number of wild prey increased dramatically after some Maldhari villages were relocated and the national park was created. Gradually the lions have changed from being mainly livestock feeders to wild prey feeders."

 

Apart from the traditional forest dwellers, other people have started to settle in the park's periphery. This has led to much construction, erection of electric fences and urbanisation. The shrines that dot the sanctuary have been attracting more than 2,50,000 pilgrims annually. Tourist lodges, guesthouses and five-star hotels have sprung up. As a result an increasing number of visitors visit the sanctuary.

 

The ensuing environmental pollution and intrusion are taking their toll, scaring away lions or cramping their life style. With diminishing territory, the feline is fighting with its back to the wall and, when all else fails, moving out of the coastal forests. Much to the anguish of conservationists, environmentalists and the Forest Department, the King has been spotted in the most unlikely places. Hapless prides of lion stalking deserted beaches in the Gulf of Khambhat and the Arabian Sea are now common.

 

Right from Ashoka to Nawab Rasulkhanji of Junagadh, many rulers made a concerted effort to save India's lions. Now as Panthera leo persica clings on to an almost impossibly small piece of its former domain, is it not the turn of our present rulers to do their bit? With the help of experts, both from the public and private domain, and importantly political will, it is possible to bring the Gir lion from the brink to its full majestic splendour.

Asiatic Lion king: Hunted and harassed

21-4-07

The Times of India  - Himanshu Kaushik

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lion_king_Hunted_and_harassed/articleshow/1935788.cms

 

AHMEDABAD: The work of the ugly tourist can be seen at many places — on heritage structures smeared with graffiti, among the litter in forests and around water-bodies and in broken beer bottles on beaches.

 

While Gir, the only home of the Asiatic Lion, needs to attract more tourists, lessons could be drawn from this picture clicked by wildlife photographer Mukesh Acharya in early 2006.

 

A tourist vehicle chasing a hapless lion — all for kicks — that some uncivilised humans get out of a sense of power over the king of the jungle. While such incidents are rare in the sanctuary, tourists often bribe the driver and the guide to allow them the sadistic pleasure of a chase.

 

Even in the area outside the sanctuary which has nearly 100 lions, such incidents are commonplace. When a lion kills its prey, villagers often try to drive the lions away with jeeps and tractors even while the beasts are feeding on the kill.

 

Besides, there is the problem of pilgrims visiting the four temples inside the sanctuary who often start cooking food along the way and leave burning fires behind.

 

Forest officials are nervous about increased tourist traffic inside Gir and feel that conservation and tourism can go hand in hand only if the animals are allowed privacy.Any viewing has to be done from a safe distance and without intrusion.

 

"While we treat these instances inside the sanctuary as rare, there is need for tourists to exercise restraint and respect the fact that the lion has the first right over this territory," says Bharat Pathak, conservator of forest.

359 lions to see, 40 AC rooms to stay

21-04-07

The Times of India - Himanshu Kaushik

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/359_lions_to_see_40_AC_rooms_to_stay/articleshow/1931943.cms

 

SASAN: Gujarat has never tried to woo tourists with its most unique attraction — the Asiatic lion. Unbelievable as it may seem, there are just 40 air-conditioned rooms in Sasan and other places on the periphery of the Gir sanctuary.

 

Of these, 15 are air-conditioned tents. The seven hotels around Gir have altogether 88 rooms and none of them qualify even for three-star status. The best property — The Taj Gir Lodge — has been closed since 1995.

 

While the Gujarat government would like to believe that this hotel has been shut for 12 long years for 'renovation', it appears that Taj group has lost interest in Gir.

 

As a result, Gir at best gets the day tourist, who heads elsewhere for a night's stay. Hardly five per cent of the 30,000 tourists who visit the sanctuary every year actually stay overnight.

 

Since three star status is the minimum required for a hotel to get a licence to sell liquor to permit holders, you can't get an alcoholic drink in any of these hotels.

 

The government has also been casual in selling the idea of tourism in Gir. During the recent Vibrant Gujarat investors' summit, 34 MoUs were signed in the tourism sector.

 

None of these projects are located in Gir. It can, of course, be argued that there is a clash of interest between conservation and tourism because a heavy flow of tourist can disturb the peace of the wildlife.

 

But experience all over the world has shown that regulated tourism can in fact generate revenue for better conservation.

 

Minister of state for Tourism C D Patel said "Development in and around Gir is restricted because of norms laid down for protection of environment and forests."

 

That is surprising because other states have exploited the tourism potential of their sanctuaries by encouraging private investment in hotel projects on the periphery of the protected areas.

Lion injured in '04 could be first poaching target

20-04-07

Ahmedabad Newsline- Sibte Husain Bukhari

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=232505

 

‘There’s link between recent poachings and an earlier incident in which a lion was injured’

 

Junagadh, April 19: This lion, with a missing paw and living at Sakkar Baug Zoo in Junagadh since 2004, has suddenly caught the attention of officials investigating last month’s poaching incidents.

 

The officials said ‘Sarjit’, as the zoo authorities have named the lion, could be the first target of poachers who tried to trap it three years ago. That was also when tribals from Madhya Pradesh were first seen in the vicinity of the Gir Sanctuary, they added.

 

On April 18, 2004, forest officials had found the lion in the Dedakadi Forest Range near Sasan Gir, the headquarters of Gir Sanctuary. Its right paw and forelimb were badly injured.

 

“The right paw was nearly ripped off the leg. But there were no other visible injuries on the animal to suggest it was involved in a fight with another lion or animal. Our first priority was to save the animal, so we took it to Sakkar Baug Zoo for treatment,” a senior forest official said.

 

Though vets managed to save the lion, its paw had to be amputated. Superintendent of Sakkar Baug Zoo, R D Katara said, “The lion’s right paw had been amputated. That kind of serious injury must have been caused by an iron trap.”

 

However, they had no inkling about the culprits till early 2004. It was on May 17, 2004 that a gang of tribals from Madhya Pradesh were arrested by forest officials with leopard skins and iron traps in their possession. Though a case was registered against them and they were sent to judicial custody by a local court, the tribals got bail and disappeared without trace thereafter.

 

Officials now believe that this gang of tribals were the ones who first struck in April, 2004 in Dedakadi Forest Range and Sarjit was their first target.

 

“The trap was probably laid by the gang of tribal poachers whose movement was noticed in villages and towns near the sanctuary. They were later arrested in April 2004,” the officer said.

 

“The tribal gang had claimed they came to Junagadh looking for work as agriculture labourers. But alarm bells should have rung then when leopard skin and traps were recovered from them,” a forest officer said.

 

“There are many similarities between the 2004 incident and the three recent poaching cases in which eight lions have been killed.

 

“Those arrested then and in April 2007 belong to the same tribal community of MP. The lions were poached using iron traps, again similar to those recovered from the tribals arrested in 2004,” the officer said.

Nature lovers come to the rescue of King of Jungle

19 04 07

Ahmedabad Newsline

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=232329

 

Ahmedabad, April 18: While the forest and security officials are still looking for ways to protect and conserve lions in the wake of the recent poaching incidents in the Gir Lion Sanctuary, nature lovers and non-governmental organisations are joining hands to protect and conserve the Asiatic lion, in their own way.

 

During the last three days, the Gir Nature Youth Club in Amreli district has distributed over 10,000 pamphlets in 70 villages of Mahuva and Palitana talukas around the Gir sanctuary with the aim of spreading awareness about protecting lions.

 

“The locals here said they had seen poachers on the banks of Shatrunji river near Ghoba village, but they did not react as they were unsure about what to do. This campaign is to spread awareness as well as demand better protection and conservation of lions,” Gir Nature Youth Club president Amit Jethwa said.

 

He said the suspected poachers had also set a stretch of jungle on fire — about 20 to 25 kilometres from Karkath village, with the aim of driving the lions out of the jungle.

 

He said when the youth here suspected something amiss, they drove these people away. Jethwa said suspected poachers were also seen hiding in a farms in Katrodi village in Savarkundla taluka.

 

“When NGOs and villagers can get such information about poachers hiding on river banks and farms near non-protected lion habitat, why can’t the forest officials get the same?” Jethwa asked.

 

The Surkhab Nature Club of Mahuva and Van Prakruti Mitra Mandal of Savarkundla have also pledged to keep a vigil on poachers and report anything amiss to the forest department.

Nature lovers come to the rescue of King of Jungle

19 -04 07

Indian Express

http://in.news.yahoo.com/070418/48/6eqb3.html

 

While the forest and security officials are still looking for ways to protect and conserve lions in the wake of the recent poaching incidents in the Gir Lion Sanctuary, nature lovers and non-governmental organisations are joining hands to protect and conserve the Asiatic lion, in their own way.

 

During the last three days, the Gir Nature Youth Club in Amreli district has distributed over 10,000 pamphlets in 70 villages of Mahuva and Palitana talukas around the Gir sanctuary with the aim of spreading awareness about protecting lions.

 

"The locals here said they had seen poachers on the banks of Shatrunji river near Ghoba village, but they did not react as they were unsure about what to do. This campaign is to spread awareness as well as demand better protection and conservation of lions," Gir Nature Youth Club president Amit Jethwa said.

 

He said the suspected poachers had also set a stretch of jungle on fire - about 20 to 25 kilometres from Karkath village, with the aim of driving the lions out of the jungle.

 

He said when the youth here suspected something amiss, they drove these people away. Jethwa said suspected poachers were also seen hiding in a farms in Katrodi village in Savarkundla taluka.

 

"When NGOs and villagers can get such information about poachers hiding on river banks and farms near non-protected lion habitat, why can't the forest officials get the same?" Jethwa asked.

 

The Surkhab Nature Club of Mahuva and Van Prakruti Mitra Mandal of Savarkundla have also pledged to keep a vigil on poachers and report anything amiss to the forest department.

Protecting the Asiatic Lion

19 Apr 2007   

By Amrit

http://www.writingcave.com/protecting-the-asiatic-lion/

 

With the population of the Asiatic lions dwindling alarmingly it’s high time we woke up to the calamity and took some real steps to save the big cats from going extinct. The same poachers are suspected to be behind the large-scale poaching who are responsible for emptying Sariska of its tigers. How tragic it must be for people who have spent their entire lifetimes trying to save our wildlife heritage.

 

The big cats, whether they are lions or tigers or panthers shouldn’t be saved just for their majestic or esoteric value. They are at the top of the food chain and if they go, the entire food chain will collapse.

 

I don’t think the best way to stop poaching is to capture and punish the poachers. As long is there is a lucrative market poaching is not going to stop. You catch 10 poachers and 20 will come to take their place, and we don’t have the budget to keep armed guards for every lion or tiger. The best would be to punish those people severely that buy animal parts for making medicines, for using as aphrodisiacs and charms, or simply as decoration trophies. There should be either death sentence or life imprisonment if one is caught buying an endangered animal’s parts. This may sound harsh but once we lose these animals the entire humanity will have to pay a big price.

 

Another good step would be to rope-in the tribals living around the wildlife sanctuaries. They should be rewarded handsomely if they help the police catch the poachers, or if they keep the poachers out of the sanctuary. In fact there should be an overwhelming incentive to keep the poachers away.

 

Security too is a big problem. Most of the forest guards are untrained people who are locally hired just because they are unemployed and loitering around. They cannot even hold a rifle straight, forget about confronting the poachers who boast of the latest weaponry available in the market. Trained guards should be hired and they should be given weapons that can match the sophistry of the poachers. These guards should be appropriately sensitized towards the animals they are supposed to protect.

 

Conservation is a problem as serious as terrorism. It has to be tackled from many sides, at the same time. The animals need protection, and they need enough space to grow and multiply.

Gir cops against gang of cheats

18-04-07

Ahmedabad Newsline- Sibte Husain Bukhari

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=232169

 

Junagadh, April 17: While it is almost clear that gangs of tribals hailing from Katni district in MP are behind the poaching of lions in Gir Sanctuary, police and forest department officials are just realising what a cunning and deceitful gang they are up against.

 

The eye-opener is a case that was registered in 2004 against a similar kind of gang that was nabbed by the Junagadh police for being in possession of leopard skin, bones and feathers of some rare birds. All the seven members of the gang, who claimed to be from Katni district in Madhya Pradesh were later released on bail. However, the case has made no progress in the Junagadh court.

 

When the arrest warrants were issued, the police found that the names and addresses of the gang members and the persons who gave surety for bail were all false. A forest department team, which went to Katni district in MP returned empty-handed as they found no one corresponding to the names mentioned in the case papers.

 

Though the police on Saturday arrested a similar gang of tribals from MP, they are not sure if they are telling the truth. “Though they have confessed to killing two lions, they have not yet revealed where they have hidden the claws, skin and bones. They are passing the buck and claiming that the actual people involved have escaped. There is no way of verifying whether the 17 arrested so far have given their real names and addresses and whether their claims that the real accused who have escaped know the whereabouts of the skin, claws and bones. Given the 2004 case, these people cannot be trusted,” a top forest official said.

 

The details of the 2004 case, photographs and other evidence has been passed on to the CID, which is investigating the present poaching cases.

 

The case: On May 17, 2004, seven members — six women and three men — of a tribal gang from Madhya Pradesh were arrested from Palaswa village (near Junagadh). Leopard skin, feathers and some bones were recovered from their possession, and a case (No.1/04-05) was registered against them.

 

Forest officials later learnt that three other men managed to escape from the scene.

 

The gang was produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class Junagadh who sent them to judicial custody. Though the tribals looked absolutely poor and illiterate, it did not take long for help to reach them while they were lodged in Junagadh Jail. Three persons, claiming to be residents of Bijpur Village of Barhi taluka in Katni District applied for bail on the gang’s behalf in the Junagadh District and Sessions Court, which rejected the bail plea.

 

However, they approached the Gujarat High Court on July 29, 2004, which directed the lower court to grant them conditional bail and a surety of Rs 25,000 per head, which they failed to submit till February 28, 2005. But, on March 1, 2005, all of sudden, the three persons who arrived from Katni, arranged for the bail amount, and the seven accused were released on bail.

 

But, that was just the beginning. As the case came up for hearing, the forest department realised that the accused had all disappeared as none of them were appearing in the court. The court then issued arrest warrants. Determined to bring them back, forest officials and the police went to MP on September 29, 2005. But they soon realised the tribals had pulled a fast one on them.

 

There was no such address in Bijpur village in Katni district that the tribals had given. The forest department also found that documents of names and address proof and other papers produced before the court for seeking bail were all forged and fake.

 

History of lying

* The case: On May 17, 2004, seven people were arrested from Palaswa village (near Junagadh) with Leopard skin, feathers and some bones. It was later learnt that three other men had managed to escape.

* The gang was sent to judicial custody.

* Three persons, claiming to be residents of Bijpur Village in Madhya Pradesh applied for bail on the gang’s behalf in the Junagadh District and Sessions Court, which rejected the bail plea.

* They approached the Gujarat High Court on July 29, 2004, which directed the lower court to grant them conditional bail and a surety of Rs 25,000 per head, which they failed to submit till February 28, 2005.

* On March 1, 2005, all of sudden, the three persons who arrived from Katni, arranged for the bail amount, surety and other documents.

* As the case came up for hearing, the forest department realised that the accused had all disappeared as none of them were appearing in court.

* Forest officials and the police went to MP on September 29, 2005. But they soon realised the tribals had pulled a fast one on them. There was no address in Bijpur village in Katni district that the tribals had given.

* The forest department also found out that documents of names and address proof and other papers produced before the court for seeking bail were all forged and fake.

Gujarat appoints permanent panel to protect Asiatic lions

18 04 07

The Hindu - Manas Dasgupta

http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/18/stories/2007041800720900.htm

 

GANDHINAGAR: Following the poaching of Asiatic lions in their only abode, the Gir sanctuary in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, the State Government has appointed a permanent 10-member committee of experts for the conservation of the endangered species.

The State committee comes close on the heels of the Centre appointing one. The three-member Central committee arrived in Gujarat on Monday for a two-day visit and is expected to submit its report in a month. The team inspected the carcass of a lion recovered in the Babariya range, questioned the settlers in the sanctuary and held discussions with the forest officials.

 

The State committee to be headed by the Principal Secretary in the Environment and Forest department, P. N. Roy Choudhury, would keep reviewing the security systems from time to time and recommend necessary measures.

 

A State Government spokesman said the committee was also expected to suggest additional sites in the State for the protection and growth of the lions and help overcome the managerial constraints in the protected areas.

 

The officials are concerned that the poaching of at least eight lions in the last one month is certain to revive the demand for shifting a part of the lion pride to the Kunho forests in Madhya Pradesh. But the State Government is opposed to any such move and is unwilling to share "Gujarat's pride" with any other State.

 

Some senior Forest Department officials have identified two areas within the State, Barda in Amreli district and Higolgadh near Rajkot, which they feel could be developed as "Safari Parks" both for protection of the lions and development of tourism. The experts suggest that both in Barda and Hingolgadh, 20 to 40 lions each could be shifted and reared. This would help avert any poaching threat to the lions in Gir. There would then be no need to shift to Madhya Pradesh.

 

The 2005 census found that of the 359 big cats in Gir, nearly 100 were outside the protected zone and have already strayed up to Barda and Hingolgadh forests. It was now only a question of declaring these areas as protected zones and develop them into "Safari Parks", a Forest Department official said.

 

More people arrested in connection with the poaching incidents were brought to the Forensic Science Laboratory here for lie detector and other tests. Two of the dozen women arrested in Una were given lie-detector tests on Tuesday but the results were not disclosed.

No meat in poaching probe yet

18-4-2007

Times of India By-Sourav Mukherjee

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Ahmedabad/No_meat_in_poaching_probe_yet/articleshow/1922468.cms

 

GANDHINAGAR: It is like a murder case where the bodies are missing. It is over a month since the first lion remains were found in the Gir wildlife sanctuary, more than 70 persons have been detained but the lions’ claws, bones and flesh are as yet untraceable.

 

Apart from recovering the pelts, paws, entrails and a couple of lion claws police investigations have hit a dead-end. Clothes with blood stains, spears and bloodcaked stones have been recovered which will link the poachers to the crime but we still need to know what happened to the eight lions’ flesh and bones, said a CID official.

 

Adult Asiatic male lions typically weigh between 160-170 kg of which the bones weigh approximately 130-140 kg. Once the lion is trapped, speared and bludgeoned to death the poachers would have to cut it into smaller pieces and then transport it out of Gir sanctuary. In none of the sites in Gir or Bhavnagar where the lion remains were recovered were the flesh or bones recovered, said a police official investigating the case.

 

The missing lion body parts have now become an enigma for the investigators. It is not possible that the flesh was left to rot at the spot where the lion carcasses were cut to pieces, or we would have found them, said sources.

 

Investigators are working on two possibilities: That there are experts among the poachers who can dismember carcasses, pack them in neat parcels and smuggle them out in refrigerated containers; or that the flesh was carried off with the bones and disposed elsewhere.

 

But, the second possibility is remote as lugging a dead weight of 170 kg, even in small consignments, would slow down the poachers. But the police have no material evidence to support these theories yet.