(08-30-2018, 11:25 AM)Rishi Wrote:

(05-16-2014, 05:14 AM)peter Wrote: 1 - CAPTIVE ADULT MALE INDIA

A photograph in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (JBNHS). Note the size of the skull:

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@johnny rex this one?

(08-30-2018, 12:09 PM)johnny rex Wrote:

(08-30-2018, 11:25 AM)Rishi Wrote:

(05-16-2014, 05:14 AM)peter Wrote: 1 - CAPTIVE ADULT MALE INDIA

A photograph in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (JBNHS). Note the size of the skull:

*This image is copyright of its original author

@johnny rex this one?

Yes thanks so much. I'm not sure whether it simply has a small body compared to its head or just abnormal large head compared to the rest of its body.

(05-30-2018, 01:19 PM)Rishi Wrote: Thanks @tigerluver

(05-29-2018, 07:16 PM)Pckts Wrote: What weights did you get @Rishi ?

I think this is the expected weight range for regular adults (knowing it's not the min-max for the species)...

*This image is copyright of its original author

Quote:

*This image is copyright of its original author

(09-26-2018, 09:38 AM)Rishi Wrote:

After the death of 11 lions (three adult females, two adult males and six cubs) were found between September 11 and 19, the whole safety issue has been stirred up again. Nine of the dead lions were recovered from Dalkhaniya range and two from the Jashadhar range of Gir Forest.

The reasons reported were multi-faceted, as officials had ruled out unnatural causes and that's where it starts sounding dodgy.
Gujarat’s forest minister Ganpat Vasava and officials initially sited inter-pride fighting & injury related infections as reason of death for the three cubs, two females & one male. Even if death of females by infighting cannot be ruled out as impossible, death of the cubs were stated to be due to starvation & lung infection (most common cause of death in cubs). The other three died of various reasons prima facie respiratory to liver failures, yet to be ascertained.

But the fact that the viscera of carcasses of the lions had been sent to the Pune-based "National Institute of Virology" to find out the exact cause of their deaths, is also a cause for concern.

Gujarat Government had finally sought the help of Central wildlife experts to unravel the mystery. A Central team of wildlife experts and other officials was flown in on Sunday and left for Gir forest to have an on-the-spot investigation, including looking at the autopsy and viscera reports of the dead lions. 

But then there were some new developments...

Embarrassed and shocked over the deaths, Gujarat govt. had immediately announced an in-depth screening of all lions by 64 teams, each consisting of a forester, a two beat guards and one tracker, aided by veterinary doctor. 

FD released a report that: 
"The teams have so far already screened 164 lions in the Gir forest area (East and West). Four lions were found with minor injuries apart from the two lionesses (one sick lioness which died Tuesday and other weak lioness which was later found dead before being captured). The four lions were treated on the spot and released.  Remaining 158 lions are in good health."

*This image is copyright of its original author

Yesterday, on 25th September, another cub was found dead which take this month's toll beyond a dozen. Sources in the State Forest Department confirmed that the two lionesses aging four and nine as well as the six-month-old cub succumbed to illness described as "some mysterious infection".

The new toll of 14 lions include two adult males, five adult females and seven cubs. 11 of these lions, including the two who died in the last 24 hours, were from the Dalkhaniya range!

The Chief Conservator of Forest, (wildlife circle) D.T.Vasavada told about the latest deaths, "They died of some disease and infection, but the exact cause will be known only after postmortem report.”

PS: This BBC report says that , conservationist Rajan Joshi told BBC Gujarati that he suspected Canine distemper virus (CDV) - carried by domestic dogs - may have played a role in the deaths. But officials said medical tests during the post mortem of the dead cats had not found any evidence of the virus.

PPS: Pricipal Chief Conservator of Forest G.K.Sinha said, “The Central govt. team is here on our invitation. There was speculation by people and media about an epidemic, so we have called the team to investigate. However, their primary research shows no signs of epidemic.”
The team has three officials, one is Joint Secretary of Wildlife, Government of India, Assistant Inspector General of National Tiger Conservation Authority who visited the site on Saturday. A scientist from Wildlife Institute of India joined them on Saturday evening.

(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=EU3inCiGFYYC&pg=PA126&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=epidemic&f=false), and the Serengeti region has many more wild lions than India.

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!