Gir lions to be translocated only after looking at all aspects: Govt in Parliament

In April 2013, the Supreme Court had ordered the shifting of some of Gujarat's lions to the Kuno sanctuary in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, saying the species is under threat of extinction and needs a second home.

New Delhi:The translocation of some Asiatic lions from Gir in Gujarat to the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh will be done only after mutual consultations between state-specific empowered committees covering all aspects, the government informed Parliament on Thursday. In April 2013, the Supreme Court had ordered the shifting of some of Gujarat's lions to the Kuno sanctuary in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, saying the species is under threat of extinction and needs a second home.

The apex court had directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to shift them by October 2013. "Incidences of deaths of Asiatic Lions due to various factors such as natural deaths, train hits, electric shocks, falling in well, infighting, disease etc. have
been reported in and around Gir Forest," Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said in Rajya Sabha, replying to a question during the Question Hour.

He further informed that the translocation of the Asiatic Gir lions from Gujarat will be done only after mutual consultations between state-specific empowered committees of the two states -- Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh -- covering all aspects of translocation, including evaluation of the habitat proposed, procedures and guidelines required to be followed and also the safety and security aspects. "A committee was constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with a view to assess the suitability of habitat for lions in potential sites in Gujarat and make recommendations regarding facilitation of natural dispersal of lions and the modalities for establishment of lion population in newly identified sites in the state of Gujarat," Yadav shared.

The committee has recommended a participatory management approach for expanding the lion population, greater involvement of communities and awareness and sensitisation programmes, especially in newly occupied territories, he added. The ministry is providing financial assistance to the state of Gujarat for lion conservation activities, including habitat improvement, water management, grassland development and prey augmentation. These activities will also facilitate the natural dispersal of lions beyond the Gir landscape, said the minister.

The lions have moved to forested patches through conducive corridors and are now distributed in nine districts of Saurashtra namely Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Botad, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Surendranagar, constituting 53 talukas covering a sprawling expanse of around 30,000 square kilometres, which is termed as the Asiatic Lion Landscape, Yadav said. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had constituted an expert committee under the chairmanship of the additional director general of forests (wildlife).

The committee has met six times. The state-specific empowered committees have also been constituted in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat under the chairmanship of their respective chief wildlife wardens to overlook the translocation process. (PTI)