Capture-recapture method used in Gir to know leopard density

27/04/2017

Capture-recapture method used in Gir to know leopard density

Outlook – THE NEWS SCROLL

http://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/capturerecapture-method-used-in-gir-to-know-leopard-density/1037561

Besides ascertaining the number of leopards, the initiative would also help in locating other wild animals in the forest, the official said

 Apr 27 The Gujarat forest department has started using 'capture-mark-recapture' method to estimate the leopard density in Gir forest, an official said today.

The exercise has begun on April 20 and it would get over in 45 days, the official said.

"As part of this exercise, fifty cameras have been installed at 25 points in Gir forest. Each point covers an area of 2.5 sq km area," deputy conservator of forest, Gir west, Pradeepsinh Jadeja, said.

The method is very accurate, he said adding, "We have tied up with the wildlife experts in Aligarh Muslim University for this exercise."

The results of the exercise would be known after a detailed analysis by the wild life experts, which would take some time, jadeja stated.

Besides ascertaining the number of leopards, the initiative would also help in locating other wild animals in the forest, the official said.

 

 

Lion roars back to teach an annoying traveler that you DO NOT mess with the King of Jungle!

26/04/2017

Lion roars back to teach an annoying traveler that you DO NOT mess with the King of Jungle!

India

http://www.india.com/buzz/lion-roars-back-to-teach-an-annoying-traveler-that-you-do-not-mess-with-the-king-of-jungle-watch-video-2070925/

The little roar was enough to send shivers down the person's spine who is heard saying, "OMG I'm I almost just died."

 

A lion's roar is the most powerful and terrifying sound that can be heard in the wildlife. Called the King of Jungle, the big cat is an epitome of immense power and strength. A human cannot dream of an encounter with a lion without being shred into hundreds of pieces but thanks to wildlife reserves seeing these enormous Wildcats is possible. But see this guy in the video who is abusing his great fortune to witness a giant Asiatic Lion so near safely. The occupant is consistently seen teasing the mighty lion walking in parallel to the traveller's vehicle. Well, what happens next is something that is scary and much-needed to the say the least.

 

 Lion attacks safari vehicle in Karnataka's Bannerghatta National Park; close shave for tourists (Watch Video).

 

Sight-seeing in the Gir Forest National Park in India, a man spotted an Asiatic lion enjoying his walk. Like most of the annoying humans, he starts filming the sight of the King of Jungle with his window down. The video clip which was released in September 2016 shows the dude non-stop chirping making absolute sense of the situation. Failing to understand that the world's most fearsome animal is just a few feet away from him, the guy continues with his irrational approach.

 

Well as we approach the end of the video clip, we see the lion had enough of little human's daredevilry and silly antics. We see the large wildcat with mighty mane stop and face the person with the camera recording the lion's next moves. The lion growls and trust us it a small tiny roar by the mighty King of the Jungle.

 

The little roar was enough to send shivers down the person's spine who is heard saying, "OMG I'm I almost just died." Well, you are not supposed to stalk the ferocious lion, and we hope the person learnt his lessons. It is almost an overwhelming experience to watch the powerful predator in front of our eyes but we forget to acknowledge their immensely strong presence. Taking photographs and recording videos from a protective safe enclosure and annoying the hell out of the animals is certainly not a cool idea.

Asiatic lion pair brings record footfall to Katraj Zoo, revenue scales up

27/04/2017

Asiatic lion pair brings record footfall to Katraj Zoo, revenue scales up

IeCities

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/asiatic-lion-pair-brings-record-footfall-to-katraj-zoo-revenue-scales-up-4629854/

The figures have seen a substantial rise since the footfalls recorded in the entire month of April last year —1,28,658. The revenue for the month amounted to Rs 29,17,260.

 

 The Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Wildlife Research Centre, or Katraj Zoo, recorded a footfall of 1,29,521 and a revenue of Rs 29,35,615 within a span of just 16 days — between April 8 and 23.

 

The figures have seen a substantial rise since the footfalls recorded in the entire month of April last year —1,28,658. The revenue for the month amounted to Rs 29,17,260.

 

The reason for this sharp jump are Tejas and Subhi — an Asiatic lion pair that was put on display for public on April 8. And since then, the pair has been attracting visitors to the zoo like never before.

 

Rajkumar Jadhav, director of the zoo, said, "It is the first time, in the history of Katraj Zoo, when such a significant rise in footfalls has been witnessed."

The excitement and curiosity of people had begun almost four months ago, when the news about the lion pair getting introduced in the zoo had started doing the rounds. Even before the pair was put on display, the zoo was getting a number of queries almost daily, added Jadhav.

The footfalls are expected to rise further in May due to summer vacations, he pointed out.

 

As compared to other weekdays, the zoo usually saw higher footfalls on Sundays. But since Tejas and Subhi have been put up on display, there has been a consistent rise in the footfalls throughout the weekend. The footfalls recorded in the last 16 days are — 4,083 (April 8, Saturday), 9,948 (April 9, Sunday), 7,705 (April 15, Saturday), 13,768 (April 16, Sunday), 8,528 (April 22, Saturday), and 16,638 (April 23, Sunday). The zoo houses more than 360 animals, of which nearly 150 have been classified as "endangered" and "critically-endangered" under the schedules of the Wildlife Protection Act of India.

 

Tejas and Subhi — both around six years old — were brought under an animal exchange programme from Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden in Junagadh, in exchange of a species of birds. After being brought to the zoo about four months ago, they were kept under quarantine as per the guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority. Under the zoo's Animal Adoption Programme, the pair has been adopted by Kedar Kasar of KK Travels for a year.

 

Tejas and Subhi, an Asiatic lion pair, was put on display for public on April 8. Express photo

WATCH: Tourist learns the HARD way to NEVER mess with a gigantic lion

26/04/2017

WATCH: Tourist learns the HARD way to NEVER mess with a gigantic lion

EXPRESS

http://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/796985/viral-video-lion-roar

The majestic - and extremely dangerous - Asiatic lion dwells in protected areas of India. 

One tourist learned the hard way never to annoy the giant creatures. 

Travelling at the same pace as the enormous lion, the tourist drove in a car alongside it. 

As the king of the jungle stalked slowly down a dirt road, the car kept up with it. 

Video taken from inside the vehicle shows it getting closer and closer to the animal. 

Eventually the car came far too close for comfort, and the lion was ready to get it to back off. 

As the driver stuck the camera out towards the four-legged creature, it suddenly stopped in its tracks. 

Turning its huge maned head directly towards the car, it stared straight at the tourist. 

Suddenly it let off a menacing roar straight in his face. 

Thankfully the lion was sufficiently pleased with this scare tactic and carried on walking afterwards. 

But it was enough to thoroughly rattle the traveller, who could be heard in the video audibly gasping in terror as he instantly wound the window up. 

The extremely close call has gone viral since the video was shared online.

t's received hundreds of comments on Reddit, with one user saying: "I bet he could feel the vibration from that growl."

Another shared: "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say don't mess with any lions, regardless of continent."

Last year an endangered Asiatic lioness terrified residents when it roamed through the Indian village of Virpur in Sasan Gir. 

Video captured the 250lb animal causing pandemonium, with the deafening screams of passersby ringing out around it. 

Two pregnant lionesses being eased into motherhood by Sakkarbaugh zoo authorities

19/04/2017

Two pregnant lionesses being eased into motherhood by Sakkarbaugh zoo authorities

Biharprabha.com

http://news.biharprabha.com/2017/04/two-pregnant-lionesses-being-eased-into-motherhood-by-sakkarbaugh-zoo-authorities/

 

Junagadh (Gujarat), Apr 19 (ANI): 150-year-old Sakkarbaugh Zoo which is close to the Gir National Park is home to 'Radha' and 'Rani', two lionesses who happen to be pregnant is being given special care by the zoo authorities. Director of the Sakkarbaugh Zoo SJ Pandit talked about how these two felines were being eased into motherhood as they had never been out in the wild. To introduce them into the world of motherhood, these two are being kept near a cage of another lioness who is already a mother to her cubs.

Eco-Sensitive Zone reduction of Gir Forest: Gujarat HC issues notice to state govt on PIL challenging proposal

20/04/2017

Eco-Sensitive Zone reduction of Gir Forest: Gujarat HC issues notice to state govt on PIL challenging proposal

IeBusiness

http://indianexpress.com/article/business/business-others/eco-sensitive-zone-reduction-of-gir-forest-gujarat-hc-issues-notice-to-state-govt-on-pil-challenging-proposal-4620407/

According to the petition, the state in the new proposal for ESZ has reduced the area from 3,32,881 hectare to 1,14,000 hectare "which is illegal and it is undertaken to favour certain people."

 

THE GUJARAT High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the state on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the proposal of the government reducing the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of Gir Forest and National Park, and other sanctuaries in the state drastically without any reason.

 

The petition moved by Biren Padhya, a resident of Ahmedabad, states the proposal of the government is likely to be culminated into a notification and if it happens, there would be irreparable loss to forest and wildlife as new heavy industries, unregulated mining, tourism and other prohibited activities would surface.

 

According to the petition, the state in the new proposal for ESZ has reduced the area from 3,32,881 hectare to 1,14,000 hectare "which is illegal and it is undertaken to favour certain people." It has cited the Supreme Court order, which directed the authorities that land falling within 10 kms from boundaries of national parks and sanctuaries should be notified as ESZ.

 

GUJARAT HIGH COURT STAYS NOTIFICATION TO DECLARE AREA AROUND GIR ECO-SENSITIVE

19/04/2017

GUJARAT HIGH COURT STAYS NOTIFICATION TO DECLARE AREA AROUND GIR ECO-SENSITIVE

AhmedabadMirror

http://ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad/others/gujarat-high-court-stays-notification-to-declare-area-around-gir-eco-sensitive/articleshow/58268013.cms

The Gujarat High Court today (Wednesday) ordered a stay on issuance of final notification by the Centre to declare the area around the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary as eco- sensitive zone.

The high court was hearing a PIL challenging the state government's proposal to reduce the area of eco-sensitive zone, in the last abode for Asiatic lions.

The division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and V M Pancholi, while hearing a PIL challenging the state government's decision to reduce the area of eco-sensitive zone in its new proposal sent to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF-CC), ordered stay on issuance of final notification and issued notices to central and state governments returnable on May 3.

Petitioner Biren Pandya in his PIL contended that in its preliminary notification on October 25, 2016, the MoEF-CC had included 3,32,881 hectare area surrounding the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park comprising 291 villages as eco- sensitive zone.

In its new proposal based on which the final notification will be issued on buffer zone around the Asiatic lions sanctuary, the state government has reduced the area to 1,14,000 hectare area consisting of 191 villages, the PIL claimed.

It said that at some areas in the new proposal, the eco-sensitive zone is as low as 500 metres from the boundary of the sanctuary and at no place it goes beyond 4 km, even though the Supreme Court's earlier order had said that 10 km areas around the wildlife sanctuary should be eco-sensitive zone.

The Gujarat government was following the 10-km rules for eco-sensitive zone till date around the sanctuary, it said.

Read Also:
MP govt clueless on deadline to shift Asiatic lions from Gujarat: Minister

"If the said action of the authorities is allowed, then it would be a catastrophic for the last surviving Asiatic lions in the area around the sanctuary," it said.

It said that the reduction of area is violative of the guidelines issued by the MoEF-CC and Supreme Court order.

The purpose of the eco-sensitive zone outside the sanctuary is to act as a buffer zone and some kind of shock absorber for protected areas, it said.

The petition also said that the state government is acting under pressure from "tourism lobby" to reduce the area so as to facilitate activities like Safari Park near Shetrunji river on northern border of the Gir sanctuary.

The reduction also exposes the environmentally delicate areas to mining and construction activities, and polluting industries may also come up near the sanctuary, it said.

"The proposed action on the part of respondent authorities is malafide, unjust, improper, illegal, and contrary to the provisions of law," the petitioner said.

It sought court's direction to MoEF not to issue final notification based on state government's proposal, and issue final notification based on its preliminary notification.

Gir Sanctuary is home to 523 lions as per the latest census, out of which 168 lions live outside the protected area, it said, adding that 310 lions have died in last 5 years, out of which 25 lions died unnaturally.

‘Smuggling’ Asiatic lion cubs: Cab driver detained by forest officials, later released

17/04/2017

'Smuggling' Asiatic lion cubs: Cab driver detained by forest officials, later released

The Indian Express

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/smuggling-asiatic-lion-cubs-cab-driver-detained-by-forest-officials-later-released-4615959/

Afzal Mugal claims he made up the story that he possessed cubs while dropping a tourist from Sasan to Diu airport

 

Acting on a tip-off, forest officials detained a taxi driver of Prabhas Patan over suspicion of smuggling two Asiatic lion cubs late on Saturday evening. Afzal Mugal was caught near Veraval during a check by the forest officers of Junagadh wildlife circle. After grilling him for long, he was released as the officers failed to get any concrete information about the alleged smuggling.

 

"There was an input that Mugal had a farmhouse where a lioness had delivered two cubs. The taxi driver had stolen them and was in process of selling the cubs to somebody in Mumbai for Rs 8 lakh. However, the driver claimed that he had 'cooked up' the story while dropping a tourist from Sasan to Diu airport and that he was innocent. After nothing suspicious was found, he was released," said Aniruddh Pratap Singh, chief conservator of forests (CCF) of Junagadh wildlife circle. Forest officers said that the input had come from Prime Minister's Office (PMO) via the state government.

 

"The informer had come to know about the matter while travelling in Mugal's taxi and passed on the message to the PMO," said a forest officer close to the development. The officer added that the informer had visited Sasan twice and went on safaris. However, he had not spotted any lion during the visits. He causally complained about it to the taxi driver while on way to Diu airport for catching a flight back home. It was during this ride that Mugal started boasting about having a farm, lions visiting them etc, said the officer. The CCF of Junagadh further said that no offence was registered against Mugal.

 

There was an input that driver Afzal Mugal had a farmhouse where a lioness had delivered two cubs.

Pride of Asiatic lions crossing Gujarat highway brings traffic to a halt

16/04/2017

Pride of Asiatic lions crossing Gujarat highway brings traffic to a halt

International Business Times

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/pride-asiatic-lion-crossing-gujarat-highway-brings-traffic-halt-video-723298             

The lions paused for a while on one side of the highway until the traffic came to a halt to let the lions cross. Poor lighting made it difficult for the traffic on the other side to see the lions.

Traffic on the Pipavav-Rajula highway in Gujarat came to a halt on Saturday evening, April 15, when a pride of lions took a few minutes to cross the highway. While a few motorists watched this rare sight with great awe, a few even filmed the lions crossing the road.

Forest rangers rescue Lion from a village well in Gujarat

The group which comprised a dozen lions and a few cubs remained stuck on one side of the busy highway where the traffic had halted for them. The lions remained stuck there as the traffic on the other side of the divider had not seen them on the poorly lit road.

 

The lions waited there for a while until the traffic on the other side of the highway came to a halt to let them pass. While one lion led the way to the other side, the others religiously followed him except one which ran back to the spot from where it had come.

 

While it was a cherished and rare enjoyable moment for the motorists, the issue is of concern.

According to local reports, a forest fire which broke in Junasavar village in Liliya taluka of Amreli in 2016 has forced many lions to shift from one spot to another. While moving from one part of the forest to another, the lions stand a high probability of getting run over, especially if they are alone. 

In 2016, a two-and-a half year-old Asiatic lion was killed after allegedly being run over by an unidentified vehicle near Pipavav port in Amreli district. The vehicle sped away after mowing down the lion.

Reportedly, many lions have moved out into unprotected parts of the Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir-Somnath, Rajkot and Junagadh districts. A report by International Union of Conservation of Nature has said that the lion population outside the protected area of Gir Sanctuary has increased by around 400% which has made the lions vulnerable to road accidents and even poaching.

 

Meanwhile a few people took to Twitter to talk about the world famous Gujarat lions.

 

Some even criticised the fact that lions having to cross a busy highway.

A pride of lions crossing the Pipavav-Rajula highway in GujaratTwitter/Hiren Upadhyay

Forest guard attacked by villager in Dalkhaniya range

15/04/2017

Forest guard attacked by villager in Dalkhaniya range

THE TIMES OF INDIA

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/forest-guard-attacked-by-villager-in-dalkhaniya-range/articleshow/58186263.cms

                            

Rajkot: A forest guard posted in Dalkhaniya Range was brutally wounded after being assaulted by a local villager at Shermardi checkpost late on Thursday night.

 

The victim Bhanu Dagda was on duty at the checkpost when he stopped the villager Kalu Makrani from entering the forest area as the deadline to go inside was nearing completion. However, Makrani, who has a field in the protected area, got enraged and attacked Dagda with some sharp weapon.

 

"Dagda has received deep cuts on his face and admitted to the Amreli Civil Hospital. A police complaint has also been lodged against Makrani," said AP Singh, chief conservator of forests.

 

Makrani has also been booked under atrocities act and the investigation has been handed over to the deputy superintendent of police rank officer.

 

This is the second attack on on-field staff of the forest department staff in the last 45 days. Earlier on March 6, a forest trekker Dharmendra Vala was stabbed to death during an attack on a forest patrol by seven men when he stopped them from watching an illegal lion show on the fringes of Gir forest in Amreli district.

MP gets four lions from Assam

14/04/2017

MP gets four lions from Assam

hindustantimes

http://www.hindustantimes.com/bhopal/mp-gets-four-lions-from-assam/story-bHOTsN6ytjiE46t4kUfIGO.html

 

Bhopal: Four lions reached Madhya Pradesh's Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal on Friday from Assam. The four big cats, including two males and two females, were brought to Bhopal by a team of nine officials in a special vehicle from Assam after travelling for nearly 75 hours. The lions were kept in the cages of Van Vihar National Park's wildlife rescue centre.

Dr Atul Gupta , veterinary doctor at the Park, who along with eight other officials had gone to Guwahati , told HT that these tigers were in a zoo there. "There were no proper facilities there for taking care of these lions. They are also suffering from various ailments need medical attention, which we can provide them here. They will be now permanently here", he said

This new addition has brought cheer to officials at Van Vihar National Park, which lost two lions last year. In July last year, India's perhaps oldest lion in captivity-28 year old Ramu-died died in Van Vihar, followed by death of another elderly lion a month later. Van Vihar National Park has now seven lions, with the latest addition.

According to wildlife experts, lions in wild live up to 16 to 18 years as they mostly die in injuries following their territorial fights. But when a lion is put in captivity, they generally live long, over 20 years. One of five big cat species found in India, Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) is found in wild in Gujarat only, elsewhere they are in captivity.

MP has been trying to get lions from Gujarat. The much delayed reintroduction of Asiatic Lion to MP's Kuno-Palpur wildlife sanctuary from Gujarat is yet to happen. Even the expert committee on translocation of lions to MP has recommended it as ideally suited for second home for lions, but Gujarat government wants that before the translocation, all the 36 studies, which have mandated under the new translocation guidelines of the IUCN issued in 2013, should be conducted to check whether Kuno was suitable for translocation or not. These studies concern issues like habitat status, prey base, vegetation cover, weather and so on.

As Asiatic lions exist only in Gir sanctuary, experts have often expressed apprehensions that high rate of inbreeding and less genetic diversity could make them susceptible to epidemics and make them extinct. In 1993, WII conducted a study to identify the best area for translocation of lions and they found Kuno-Palpur in Sheopur district, nearly 140 kms from Gwalior, most suitable. In this light, a proposal was mooted to translocate a few of the Gir lions to MP in 2000. Wildlife activist Fayaz Khudsar filed a public interest petition in the apex court in 2006 and sought translocation of Gir lions to MP. In April 2013, the apex court in a judgment directed that the lions be translocated to Kuno-Palpur in MP.

 

 

Gir loses 10km of protective ring

06/04/2017

Gir loses 10km of protective ring

THE TIMES OF INDIA

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/gir-loses-10km-of-protective-ring/articleshow/58037396.cms

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government has finalized the proposal for reducing the size of 'eco-sensitive zones (ESZ)' around protected sanctuaries owing to developmental pressures in the concerned areas. The group of ministers, which met on Tuesday, revised the size of ESZs of almost all important wildlife sanctuaries in the state, including the Nalsarovar wetland (a Ramsar site), Gir-Asiatic Lion sanctuary and the Asiatic Wild Ass Sanctuary which figures in Unesco's tentative list of world natural heritage sites.

The state government has reduced the size of different ESZs from 3 km to 23 km. Initially, the purpose of the zones was to create a kind of 'shock absorber' around protected sanctuaries, mainly to regulate human activity and check uncontrolled development around them. Instead, the government has altered the boundaries of the ESZs thus putting at risk protected wildlife in each sanctuary. Sources said this had been done to benefit some local residents of the affected areas.

 

Senior officials of the state forest department said that following representation by several elected representatives, including MLAs, the government decided to review the entire proposal and constituted a committee of ministers for the purpose.

The committee's members are forest and environment minister Ganpat Vasava; agriculture minister Chiman Sapariya; animal husbandry minister Babu Bokhiriya; labour and employment minister Dilip Thakore (all cabinet ministers); and minister of state for urban development Shankar Chaudhary.
 

The officials said that the ministers group, along with MLAs, held a meeting with local leaders (mostly BJP workers) who had made a representation against the proposed ESZ or the ESZ published in the draft notification. Based on their representation, the ministers group immediately ordered reduction in the size of the ESZs. The first meeting of the group of ministers was held in February and its second meeting was held on Tuesday.

 

Officials said that for Gir sanctuary, the ESZ was reduced by 10 km — from a maximum size of 17.3 km to 7 km. The new proposal for Gir ESZ fixed by the group of ministers is from a minimum of zero to a maximum of seven km.

 

The officials further said that along the rivers in Lion Corridor area, the earlier proposal had ESZ of 500 meters from both the banks of the river, especially Shetrunji. But the group of ministers have decided to have only the riverbed where mining will not be allowed.

 

In Nalsarovar, the ESZ was reduced from a maximum of 13 km to only 5.6 km. Earlier when the minimum area was 2.35 km from the boundaries, the government had fixed the ESZ in the revised proposal to 1.5 km.

 

"What is surprising is a sharp decline in the ESZ for Velavadar blackbuck sanctuary. The proposed ESZ ranged from one km to 26 km but now is has been reduced to only one km to three km," an official said. "The proposal for Velavadar was to be cleared at the meeting of the ESZ committee of the Union ministry of environment and forest in October 2016 but it was put on hold following a request by the state government."

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Lion reserve proposal gathering dust since 2006

30/3/2017

Lion reserve proposal gathering dust since 2006

NYOOOZ

https://www.nyoooz.com/news/rajkot/769744/lion-reserve-proposal-gathering-dust-since-2006

Summary: "If government delays decision, the haphazard development in and around the proposed conservation reserve will destroy the purpose of the entire proposal. The windmill project close to this proposed 'conservation reserve' is a prime example of it," said another forest official. Forest department gave all details about the village-wise, taluka-wise, details of government waste land as well as forest land which fall under the 'conservation reserve' to the concerned government department. The proposed conservation reserve was a link for the lion's corridor from Gir east to Rangala and other parts of Bhavnagar district, where lions have started living permanently. "The plan was to provide safe cover to lions that are moving outside the Gir Sanctuary and maintain a safe corridor for the big cat's movement.

 

Rajkot: Gujarat's pride, Asiatic lions, seems to have been left to fend for themselves in greater Gir area as the state government is sitting on a crucial proposal to give more protection to the endangered species outside Gir Wildlife Sanctuary since last 11 years.In April 2005, Gujarat government had floated a proposal to declare 30,054 hectare area, which included government waste land, forest land in villages of Palitana, Mahuva, Talaja of Bhavnagar and some parts of Amreli as 'Sir Dharamkumarsinhji Wildlife Sanctuary'. However, in 2006, the proposal was modified and it was decided to declare the area as a 'conservation reserve' instead of sanctuary.The area identified by the government for the 'conservation reserve' was based on its ecological, fauna, floral, gemological nature and zoological significance for the purpose of protection, propagation and developing wildlife and its environment. It was to be the lion's new permanent corridor.In 2010, a total of 10,952 hectare (109 sq km) area in Savarkundla, Palitana, Mahuva and Talaja was marked as 'conservation reserve'. 

Forest department gave all details about the village-wise, taluka-wise, details of government waste land as well as forest land which fall under the 'conservation reserve' to the concerned government department."The plan was to provide safe cover to lions that are moving outside the Gir Sanctuary and maintain a safe corridor for the big cat's movement. The proposed conservation reserve was a link for the lion's corridor from Gir east to Rangala and other parts of Bhavnagar district, where lions have started living permanently. As human-wildlife conflicts are on rise, it is high time that the government takes a decision for long-term conservation of lions," said a senior forest officer.When inquired about the status of lion 'conservation reserve', principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), G K Sinha said that the forest department had sent the proposal to government, where the matter was pending for final approval."If government delays decision, the haphazard development in and around the proposed conservation reserve will destroy the purpose of the entire proposal.