Asiatic Lion - Data, Pictures & Videos

[Rishi]

(09-27-2018, 03:10 PM)BorneanTiger Wrote: It was feared that an epidemic similar to what killed a large number of East African lions in the Serengeti (which includes Kenya's Masai Mara, across the border from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania: https://www.nature.com/articles/379441a0) could wipe out the wild Asiatic lions in Gujarat, if they were not to be transferred to another place, namely Kuno Palpur in Madhya Pradesh (https://books.google.com/books?id=EU3inC...ic&f=false), and the Serengeti region has many more wild lions than India.

Well, there's atleast some positive news. None of the carcasses tested were found positive of canine distemper virus that had us worried! 
indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/relief-among-gujarat-forest-officials-samples-of-two-dead-lion-cubs-test-negative-for-canine-distemper-virus 

Quote:Relief among Gujarat forest officials: Dead lion cubs test negative for CDV
After the 11 deaths from a small patch of Gir forest, the Forest Department had launched an extensive scanning drive on Sunday to locate sick lions.

Rajkot | September 27, 2018 

*This image is copyright of its original author

Huge relief to the state Forest Department, samples of two Asiatic lion cubs, which had died early this month, tested negative for the feared canine distemper virus even as forest teams completed scanning exercise in 1,740 square kilometres of forest and non-forested areas in Gir looking for any sick lion, which may be in need of medical treatment, on Wednesday.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest G K Sinha, who also heads the forest force, on Wednesday said laboratory tests have confirmed that two of the six lion cubs which had died early this week did no did due to canine distemper virus (CDV) infection.
“Samples drawn from two lion cubs were tested at a veterinary college in Junagadh by deploying molecular virology method. Test reports have come negative for canine distemper (virus),” the PCCF said in an official release.

Forest officers said that negative results for CDV was a “huge relief”.

CDV can infect lions and a host of other animals. A CDV outbreak in Tanzania in Africa had caused deaths of hundreds of lions in 1990s. Alarm bells had started ringing on September 20 when it came to light that 11 lions had died the previous week in Sarasiya Vidi area in Dalkhaniya range of Gir (east) forest.

Veterinarians had drawn samples of blood and serum of the cubs, which had died due to suspected illness, and sent to the Junagadh lab. Some samples have also been sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune.

After the 11 deaths from a small patch of Gir forest, the Forest Department had launched an extensive scanning drive on Sunday to locate sick lions and give them medical treatment, if required. The department had formed teams of foresters, forester guards and lion trackers to scour all the 16 ranges in which the lion habitat has been divided and scan each and every lion. During the exercise, teams spotted two lionesses and a cub which died later on, taking the number of deaths in Sarasiya Vidi to 14 in two weeks. While two deaths were reported on Monday, one lioness reportedly died on Tuesday.

Officers said that the scouring of remaining forest area will continue until the entire lion landscape is covered and each and every lion has been scanned!

Meanwhile, the PCCF said that the 64 screening teams had already scanned 1,740 km² lion habitat by Tuesday, of which 1,045 km² of Gir and 695 km² adjacent outside of protected area. During the exercise, 460 lions have been spotted and out of them, only seven were found to have minor injuries. The remaining 453 were found to be in good health.

Quite interestingly, those seven lions (three male lions, three lionesses and a cub) had been rescued from Dalkhania and Jasadhar ranges, where the 14 deaths were reported, ! “All the seven animals rescued from Sarasiya Vidi are prima facie in good health. They will be kept under observation and their health will be checked,” he added.

I believe these animals to be survivors of the "Dalkhaniya pride war". The lions that died between September 10 & 20, most likely came from both prides...

Due to flooding, moisture and infestation of insects/snakes, lion deaths during monsoon remains comparatively high. Over the last two years, three month of monsoon had recorded average over 30 deaths.
About 70 percent cubs do not reach adulthood of natural causes.

Whatever other sick lions had been found were because the search operation. Otherwise their deaths would have probably just gone unrecorded. Reply