Centre refuses to give money for conservation of lions

13/07/2015
Centre refuses to give money for conservation of lions
Deccan Herald

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/489093/centre-refuses-give-money-conservation.html

The last month's flood in Gujarat killed 10 Asiatic lions in two districts at a time when the central government refused to release more money for conserving these animals.

The deaths occurred in Amreli and Bhavnagar districts, where carcasses of ten lions were recovered till July 2, says a report by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of Gujarat, who submitted it to the Union Environment Ministry last week.

Besides, carcasses of 1,670 blue bulls, 87 spotted deer, nine black bucks and six wild boars were also found. Four lions died in Amreli district and the other six in Bhavnagar district.

As per the 2010 lion census, the total number of these big cats stood at 411 in Gujarat. Two months ago, another round of the five-yearly lion census  began. The 2005 count was 359 lions.

The ongoing census will cover Amreli, Porbandar, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Gir-Somnath and Botad districts. Apart from the 1,800 sq km sanctuary area, which includes Gir Sanctuary, Gir National Park, Paniya, Mityalaya and Girnar sanctuaries, another 23,200 sq km area outside the sanctuary will also be covered in the counting.

The loss of lions comes less than three months after the Union Environment Ministry refused to sanction Rs 135 crore to Gujarat for conserving these animals in their only home in India.

The state had submitted a Rs 150 crore plan for consolidating long term conservation of Asiatic lions and sought 90 per cent funding from theCentre. The ministry rejected the proposal on the ground that funds are not available. Two years ago, Gujarat had submitted a Rs 262 crore proposal that also received approval from the Planning Commission. But the central support was nominal.

After the flood, when forest officials visited the affected areas, lions were seen moving and fresh kills of blue bulls were also observed. 

"As many as 17 lions were seen in Savarkundala area while 27 lions in Amreli district and 40 in Bhavnagar district were spotted during search and rescue operations after the flood," said S C Pant, principal chief conservator of forest in Gujarat.

 

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

06/07/2015
Praveen Singh captures man-animal bonding in India's Wandering Lions

India Today

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

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.

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.

 

Disovery Channel's India's Wandering Lions captures the tolerance of the people to the big cats living in Gujarat's Gir lion sanctuary.

Pride of India: Documentary reveals the true relationship between man and big cat

06/07/2015
Pride of India: Documentary reveals the true relationship between man and big cat 
Mail Online India
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3150429/Documentary-reveals-true-relationship-man-big-cat.html

Film-maker Praveen Singh of Discovery Channel has captured the incredible tolerance of the people to 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 9pm. 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."

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Disovery Channel's India's Wandering Lions captures the tolerance of the people to the big cats living in Gujarat's Gir lion sanctuary

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There are thousands who swear by the lion in the Saurashtra region, where the king has by now acquired a territory of 20,000 square km

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 perspective than what many environmentalists argue. 

Living with the King

05/07/2015

Living with the King

The Statesman
http://www.thestatesman.com/news/features/living-with-the-king/73695.html

 

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.

NO BUILDING IN 1-KM PERIPHERY OF GIR PARK

03/07/2015

NO BUILDING IN 1-KM PERIPHERY OF GIR PARK

Ahmedabad Mirror
http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/ahmedabad/others/No-building-in-1-km-periphery-of-Gir-park/articleshow/47916389.cms

After the issue of illegal construction gained currency in the state and Gujarat High Court took up the case suo moto, the state government on Thursday filed its reply with an "Eco sensitive zone policy for Gir. No construction would be allowed in the periphery of National Park, Gir, Paniya and Mitiyana sanctuaries spread over 1,412 km. However, local people have been given some relief under the new policy. The matter is being heard in the court of Justice Jayant Patel.

The next hearing has been scheduled for August 6. The policy was placed before the court by Advocated General Prakash Jani and Assistant Public Prosecutor Chintan Dave. Under the policy, 1 km of the forest has been termed as buffer zone where no commercial activities would be allowed. However, the court has posed some questions to the government. It asked the government to submit the permissions given in the periphery of 10 km in Gir. Have those given permission made additional construction; if yes then how much illegal construction has been done; and what about those who are operating without permission.

The state government stated in its reply to the court that construction which had come up as per the permission will remain as they were. However, those which came up without permission will be removed at the earliest. More than 500 illegal structures have been sealed in this area by the state government after the court took up the issue. There are farmers living in and close to Gir forest and they have raised construction for themselves. This amounts to 5 per cent of the total area of Gir. Under Bombay Police Act, 1951, no construction will be allowed in these areas. No construction will be allowed within 50 metres of the canals and 100 metres of the rivers.

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

03/07/2015
State govt submits eco-tourism policy for Gir sanctuary to Gujarat High Court
The Indian Express

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

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

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

 

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.

 

Lioness Strays Into Temple, Attacks Two in Vadodara

26/06/2015
Lioness Strays Into Temple, Attacks Two in Vadodara

The New Indian Express

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/Lioness-Strays-Into-Temple-Attacks-Two-in-Vadodara/2015/06/26/article2887546.ece

VADODARA: An Asiatic lioness, which strayed into a Shiva temple in rain-ravaged Amreli district and attacked two women devotees, was rescued and released into the jungle after a 15-hour-long operation by forest officials.

The incident took place yesterday in Ingrola village when the local women reached the temple to offer prayers and spotted the lioness inside, M R Gurjar, Deputy Conservator of forest, Amreli division told PTI. As soon as the two women entered the temple, the lioness attacked them, leaving the duo injured following which they were admitted to a nearby hospital, the official said.

Gurjar said the lioness might have taken shelter inside the temple due to inundation and rising water levels in the Shetrunji river nearby, owing to heavy and incessant rains resulting in a flood-like situation there. Many prides of lions are usually seen lazing on the banks of the river, said Gurjar. According to him, the animal was rescued after a 15-hour-long operation by a team of forest officials in the wake of torrential rains lashing the area making it difficult to mobilise men and material for such an operation.

Roads leading to the temple were completely submerged after the district received 22 inches of rainfall, he said. However, around 1.30 AM today, forest officials overpowered the lioness and tranquilised it, ending the operation, Gurjar said.

The caged lioness was later released into the jungle. In another incident, a lioness was found dead today after it allegedly got stuck in muck at an agricultural field in Bhavadi village of Amreli. The carcass was recovered from the muddy spot and sent to a veterinary hospital at Dhari town early this morning for post-mortem, said Gurjar, adding that the animal might have been caught in flash floods which cut off this worst-hit district from rest of Gujarat for days.

Anshuman Sharma, another Deputy Conservator of Forests, said, "There are at least 50 lions who have made 25 villages on the banks of Shetrunji their permanent homes. The river was in spate since Tuesday night and has been flowing above the danger mark. It inundated all these villages yesterday. After the water recedes, the forest teams will be in a position to asses the damage in the sanctuary area of Gir forest, which is home to 511 Asiatic lions." 

 

 

Lioness Strays Into Shiva Temple, Attacks 2; Rescued

26/06/2015
Lioness Strays Into Shiva Temple, Attacks 2; Rescued

NDTV
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/lioness-strays-into-shiva-temple-attacks-2-rescued-775631
VADODARA:  An Asiatic lioness, which strayed into a Shiva temple in rain-ravaged Amreli district and attacked two women devotees, was rescued and released into the jungle after a 15-hour-long operation by forest officials.

The incident took place yesterday in Ingrola village when the local women reached the temple to offer prayers and spotted the lioness inside, MR Gurjar, Deputy Conservator of forest, Amreli division told PTI.

As soon as the two women entered the temple, the lioness attacked them, leaving the duo injured following which they were admitted to a nearby hospital, the official said.

Mr Gurjar said the lioness might have taken shelter inside the temple due to inundation and rising water levels in the Shetrunji river nearby, owing to heavy and incessant rains resulting in a flood-like situation there.

Many prides of lions are usually seen lazing on the banks of the river, said Mr Gurjar.

According to him, the animal was rescued after a 15-hour-long operation by a team of forest officials in the wake of torrential rains lashing the area making it difficult to mobilise men and material for such an operation.

Roads leading to the temple were completely submerged after the district received 22 inches of rainfall, he said.

However, around 1.30 am today, forest officials overpowered the lioness and tranquilised it, ending the operation, Mr Gurjar said.

The caged lioness was later released into the jungle. In another incident, a lioness was found dead today after it allegedly got stuck in muck at an agricultural field in Bhavadi village of Amreli.

The carcass was recovered from the muddy spot and sent to a veterinary hospital at Dhari town early this morning for post-mortem, said Mr Gurjar, adding that the animal might have been caught in flash floods which cut off this worst-hit district from rest of Gujarat for days.

Anshuman Sharma, another Deputy Conservator of Forests, said, "There are at least 50 lions who have made 25 villages on the banks of Shetrunji their permanent homes. The river was in spate since Tuesday night and has been flowing above the danger mark. It inundated all these villages yesterday. After the water recedes, the forest teams will be in a position to assess the damage in the sanctuary area of Gir forest, which is home to 511 Asiatic lions."

 

No Construction Without NoC In And Around Scantuary

03/07/2015
No Construction Without NoC In And Around Scantuary
The Times Of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/No-Construction-Without-NoC-In-And-Around-Scantuary/articleshow/47924003.cms

AHMEDABAD: The notification issued by the Government of Gujarat notification to regulate illegal construction around the Gir, Girnar, Matiyala and Paniya sanctuaries has also banned erecting tents or tent shaped structures without the permission of the Chief Wildlife warden. 

Every year, in order to meet the tourist rush during the summer and Diwali vacations farmers construct tents to provide them accommodation, even for these prior permission will have to be taken. 

The notification was tabled in the Gujarat high court on Thursday and a further hearing will be held in August. A bench headed by Justice Jayant Patel had on June 25, refused to grant more time to the state government to finalize its policy after it failed to resolve contradictions in its existing provisions. 

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

The notification issued on July 1 further states that only those resorts, guest houses and hotels that have permission will be allowed to operate in the area. Additionally, if a resort or guest house has any illegal construction, the same will have to be demolished. Even establishments who have more than the number of rooms approved under the home stay policy will have to demolish those rooms. 

Wildlife experts call for 'life insurance' for lions after Gujarat rains kill at least 11

03/07/2015
Wildlife experts call for 'life insurance' for lions after Gujarat rains kill at least 11 
Mail Online India
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3147693/Wildlife-experts-call-life-insurance-lions-Gujarat-rains-kill-11.html

The flash floods in June caused by unruly rains in the lion belt of Gujarat claimed the lives of at least 11 Asiatic big cats. Now a survey has begun to find more carcasses. 

While more than 1,600 blue bulls and nearly 50 spotted deer have also perished, the spotlight has again turned on the controversy of a section of lions to be shifted to Kuno Palpur sanctuary in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. 

Wildlife experts won a case with the Supreme Court for a section of lions in the Gir forests to be shifted to the forests in Madhya Pradesh, as their space in Gujarat was shrinking. 

There have also been several cases of lions becoming victims of human activities.

+3

With 11 deaths in the floods, the number of lions in Gujarat has come down to 511

Even the latest May 2015 lion census in Gir and surrounding areas in Gujarat's Saurashtra region indicated that there are at least 167 lions which have spilled into human territories in Amreli and Bhavnagar districts searching for a new base and hunting area. 

There have been frequent accidental cases of lion deaths due to goods trains passing through Amreli, as well as from trucks hitting the animals in Bhavnagar, both of which were not traditionally frequented by the lions but have come to be now.+

The Gujarat government is now complimenting itself for conservation efforts that have led to an increase in the numbers of lions — from 411 in 2010 to 523 now. 

With at least the counted official figure, the number has come down to 511, with 11 deaths in the floods while the survey is still ongoing. 

Renowned lion and wildlife expert Ravi Chellam told Mail Today: "A natural catastrophe like this which killed so many lions and other wild animals doesn't come with a warning. 

"It does not tell you I will strike at 9am tomorrow." 

He added: "Like human beings there should be a life insurance for the wild animals for a catastrophe. 

"In this case, what was needed was an alternative that works as a life insurance, an alternative living arena for the lion is necessary." 

Chellam is the one who fiercely fought in the SC the case to relocate the lions to Madhya Pradesh. 

"I have nothing to add than what the SC has already ordered," he said. 

The Supreme Court order of April 2013 clearly directed the shifting of some of the lions to the Kuno Palpur sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. 

"The order is binding on one and all," Chellam told Mail Today by telephone. 

The Gujarat government forest officials, on the other hand, said a flood like this has never occurred in this region and this caught them unawares. 

By the same argument, they say the flood deaths of lions could not be connected with the issue of relocation. 

When asked, Chellam said the official machinery could not be blamed for a catastrophe like this but there should be an "alternative preparedness" and "the SC directive does not leave any space for anyone to debate, which has already happened in the court." 

The proposal to shift some of the lions triggered a legal battle which lasted a long time. 

Finally, in April 2013, the SC 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 relocation. 

A Gujarat policeman with a carcass of a lion in Amreli following the floods