(12-02-2014, 07:59 PM)'sanjay' Wrote: Even India is not ready to transfer Lions from one state to other. Politics
 

(12-02-2014, 08:33 PM)'chaos' Wrote: Unfortunately, middle east = eternal instability. What a shame it would be to lose relocated wildlife
to human conflict.
 

(12-02-2014, 02:27 PM)'Amnon242' Wrote:

(12-02-2014, 01:02 AM)'Pckts' Wrote:

(12-02-2014, 12:32 AM)'chaos' Wrote: ~~ think the real tell, tell, is the inability to successful have prides and the smaller manes. The reason being, lions are pack hunters, thats how they are most successful. But being that the jungle doesn't allow many grazing creatures to congregate in large company, the pride doesn't serve a purpose.

That would directlty reflect their adaptation to the Indian terrain. 


 

It also directly shows that they are smaller which is because they are not as succesful in that habitat.
I never said they didn't adapt, I said they are less successful. Which is why they are shells of what they are truley capable of.
 

 

Asiatic lions are somewhat smaller than east/south africans. They are about the size of west african lions. Are west african lions also less successful? East african lions are smaller than south africans, are east african lions less successful than south african lions?

As we know lion size is corelated to prey size. In india they probably hunt smaller prey than in africa. But they doesn´t mean that they are not successful. They are adopted to indian enviroment - including somewhat smaller size. Sumatran tigers are also smaller than bengal tigres...

Tiger/lion interaction: adult male bengal tiger is perhaps too much for a single lion, but male lion could kill a tigress or subadult male. Also gang of female lions could kill a tiger (tigress, subadult male).  

 

(12-03-2014, 12:53 AM)'chaos' Wrote: Their African cousins were never hunted to the brink of extinction. Current estimates for Indian lions number over four
hundred. It was a fraction of that when protective measures were finally instituted. You get the point. Once they thrived.
Sadly now, they barely survive. On top of that, they're generally an unhealthy lot. I believe it will take many years and
generations to see a marked improvement in their overall wellbeing. I hope it' not too late and they pull through.
 

 

(12-03-2014, 02:16 AM)'brotherbear' Wrote: If inbreeding is a problem, is it possible to slip in a few Africans? Or, are they not genetically compatable?

 

(12-03-2014, 12:33 AM)'Pckts' Wrote: I assume you are going off of the single weights where the sizes of asiatic lions were equal to the sizes of west african lions. But there are more weights than that, and they show that the average of the asiatic lion is lower.

If you really compare, Lions from all over africa, the weight discrepency is nearly nothing. They are all extremely close in weight, max weights from all over can be more than others from areas with a higher average. You don't see that in Asiatic Lions, you don't see 250kg specimans, you don't see 200kg specimens usually. That is a sign that they are not as successful. In terms of prey availability, I'm not sure what they have in Gir, but Indian tigers are able to obtain massive size in similar conditions compared to a Asiatic lion.

In terms of Tiger vs. Lion interaction,
Of course a pride of lions will be too much for a tigress, but prides are very small in India, usually one or two sisters I believe. I am not saying that Lions have not adapted to live in India, they obviously have. I am saying they are'nt as successful as their African cousins. Hence why they have smaller manes, prides, and size. Those are the factors of a strong lion, are they not?

(12-03-2014, 04:36 AM)'Siegfried' Wrote: The two subspecies of lion show enough genetic differences that this occurred......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4101049.stm