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Asiatic Lion - Data, Pictures & Videos
Asiatic Lion - Data, Pictures & Videos
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Asiatic Lion - Data, Pictures & Videos
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they look so cool with winter coats..imagine these guys in somewhere like the czech republic hunting euro bison,fallow deer ect.
 (09-28-2018, 07:17 AM)Rage2277 Wrote: black beard has the best mane i've seen on a wild asiatic lion. he's fresh from the salon..though..maneless lions look more badass too me Actually there were two-three more contenders for that title earlier in this thread. Proper maneless adult males are actually very rare among asiatic lions. I've only seen two... But when one of those rare specimens actually end up in Europe, you won't believe what happens... (09-29-2018, 09:44 PM)Rage2277 Wrote: they look so cool with winter coats..imagine these guys in somewhere like the czech republic hunting euro bison,fallow deer ect. Take a look at this guy! He didn't grow a mane but, his ruff is fluff. MADRID, SPAIN - 2018/05/14: The new male Asiatic lion pictured in his exterior enclosure at Madrid zoo. (Photo:Jorge Sanz)  *This image is copyright of its original author (Popova Valeriya)  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author "Last of the Cave-lions"  *This image is copyright of its original author
 
21 Gir lions dead, 4 of virus that killed 1000 in Serengeti
"Preliminary reports from National Institute of Virology, Pune, have confirmed CDV in four lions. We are awaiting the final report of possible CDV in other lions" of the total 21 lions, six had died of protozoan infection TNN | Updated: Oct 2, 2018, 09:42 IST RAJKOT/AHMEDABAD: All 10 Asiatic lions, rescued from Gir’s Dalkhaniya Range in Gujarat’s Amreli district following the death of 11 big cats, have died at theJasadhar animal care centre, the Gujarat forest department confirmed on Monday. The lions succumbed one after another between September 20 and September 30, sending shockwaves through Asia’s only abode for lions. The death toll since September 12 has increased to 21. Earlier, 11 lions, including cubs, were found dead in Dalkhaniya between September 12 and September 19. However, a scarier revelation is that four of the 11 lions that died between September 12 and September 16 were infected with canine distemper virus (CDV). This lethal virus spreads from dogs in the wild. This is the same virus which had wiped out nearly 1,000 lions from Tanzania’s SerengetiReserve in 1994. Forests and environment minister Ganpat Vasava told TOI: “Preliminary reports from National Institute of Virology, Pune, have confirmed CDV in four lions. We are awaiting the final report of possible CDV in other lions.” The forest department said on Monday that of the total 21 lions, six had died of protozoan infection and four due to “some virus”. Protozoan infection is caused by ticks, mostly found among dogs in the wild, as well as cattle and even grass. As a precautionary step, the forest department has evacuated 31 lions from Semardi area near Sarasiya Vidi and shifted them to Jamwala rescue centre. https://m.timesofindia.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/21-gir-lions-dead-4-of-virus-that-killed-1000-in-serengeti/articleshow/66035191.cms  (10-02-2018, 10:00 AM)Suhail Wrote: 21 Gir lions dead, 4 of virus that killed 1000 in Serengeti But will they ever evacuate lions to Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, in case things get worse in Gir Forest and surrounding areas in the Saurashtran region of Gujarat State where lions are found, which is partly what the issue of transferring them to Kuno-Palpur was about (https://books.google.com/books?id=EU3inC...&q&f=false)? (10-03-2018, 06:04 PM)BorneanTiger Wrote:(10-02-2018, 10:00 AM)Suhail Wrote: 21 Gir lions dead, 4 of virus that killed 1000 in Serengeti This recent mess has turned the situation in its favour with Gujjars left in an awkward position. The very purpose of this relocation literally came true as India caught a glimpse of the possible disaster. Pressure can mount to such level that I've found some hard-line relocation opposers abusing MP of deliberate sabotage! With Gujarat's "they're quite safe here" narrative shattered, they would probably comply now, once this horrible business is over. Media houses are doing their part & spreading misinformation... “The standing committee met just once in March 2018 and since then no meetings were held. We will approach the SC once again next week as the Gujarat government is hiding behind a pile of excuses. These lion deaths make our case stronger, because overpopulation of lions can lead to viral infections and epidemics.” Actually conservationist Bittu Sahgal makes a good point. Other than just creating a second population they need to remove as many lions as possible from the non-forest land around Gir to other habitats within Gujarat, away from dogs & cattle. But such a grand scale might prove too costly... Personally i feel that a mere relocation won't make much difference. What it the relocation had taken place in time, say 2000. By now Kuno-Palpur would have had 50+ lions. So? We still couldn't afford losing lions twelve times that number at Kathiawar. The problem lies at Greater-Gir and that is where it has to be tackled. Those lions must receive protection against some usual killers like CDV etc. Can tranquilizer darts be instead filled with vaccines instead? If it can, then they must seek out & dart every single breeding adult. It may sounds too ambitious, but if they can screen around 600 lions over more than 3000 km² area in less than 10 days, they can dart them too.
@Suhail @BorneanTiger
The lions that were affected by CDV and other pathologies - Babesia, FIV ... which together resulted in the death of three hundred lions in the Serengeti and Maasai Mara, had as a determinant the stress caused by sudden environmental changes, notably the great drought, non-standard migration of herbivores, and the uncontrolled proliferation of swarms of blood-sucking flies. This cocktail provoked this catastrophe. The collective immunosuppression was the triggering factor for these opportunistic infections, and CDV played a major role in this mortality. Many pathogens are present and do not affect lions, which are usually asymptomatic carriers, living with them as endemic viruses. A lion with high immunity does not develop any of the diseases in which these viruses are associated.
It is a yes warning, and very important for Asian lions. We often see success as this new home of lions far from the protected area of GIR, however, for lions should be a huge stressor. It is not natural, from any perspective, to think that lions do not feel pressured by the constant human presence and everything associated with humans. The formally protected ecosystem of GIR is provisioned to shelter in a healthy way about 200 or a few more lions. This expansion has made many of them semi-urban animals, and unlike the leopards that survive in Sanjay Gandhi National Park (they routinely feed on dogs without suffering from the diseases dogs transmit) I believe, because of their ability to adapt to this environment that the lions are not able to do the same. And increased stress can trigger a catastrophe in your numbers. Kuno-Palpur is an alternative to another home, does not solve this situation of expansion in Gujarat ... something will happen and a disease may be the environmental response to this ecosystem in imbalance. The lions will lose! This situation will not last for many years. The tolerance of the people of Gujarat is not infinite. Neither will lions adapt to this new environment that pressures them to change ancestral, visceral behaviors. Otherwise, a new category is under development: adapted human lions. Although ancient, this study is a reference to understand the effects of viruses on the lions of the Serengueti ecosystem. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1365-2656.1999.00360.x Flies can torment lions to death. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1225232.stm (10-05-2018, 11:35 PM)Matias Wrote: At the moment the concern I have most is this: The 26-member strong pride of the endangered Asiatic lions in Gujarat has almost been wiped out with 23 lions dying in the last 20 days. 5 lions succumbed to the deadly infection of canine distemper virus (mutated) and 17 of tick-borne babesiosis. However, no deaths have taken place after 1st October & no signs of the virus been observed in other prides outside the Dalkhaniya Range. The 36 animals quarantined at 3 rescue centers (at Jambvala, Jasadha and Babarkot) have pulled through & there's haven't been detoriation in their health condition. The operation is being overlooked by 9 senior doctors, all big cat specialists, shuffling from one centre to another. Gujarat High Court has observed that feeding poultry & baits to the lion could be one of the reasons behind transfer of virus to the big cats. Bail applications filed by men accused of running illegal lion show inside Gir sanctuary & guy who was shown feeding poultry to lions inside Gir sanctuary in that video earlier, were all rejected. Infographics by Times of India., with all details & developments.  *This image is copyright of its original author Meanwhile 300 shots of the vaccine ‘Polyvalent’— dispatched from the United States two days ago — reached Junagarh yesterday afternoon. How this vaccine will be put to use and when has still not been made official. In all probability they haven't yet figured out a way to vaccinate more than 600 wild lions spread all over Greater Gir. I'm thinking of sending a mail (or even better, a petition) to the Gujarat FD about my "tranquilizer dart filled with vaccines" idea from post #547. Best thing we can do this wildlife week... Opinions?
@Rishi
Writing a petition is valuable, go ahead.
It is a serious matter and I wish to follow it in the best way possible. You are accumulating a lot of information and, I am sure, your opinion can provide good insights to stakeholders. I'm of the opinion that the best efforts are being made, the news seems to determine that. The Gujarat Government treats lions seriously, and due to the deep knowledge of the ecology of these lions, the professionals who are involved will be able to find the most appropriate strategy for viral vaccination or even to give up. It may be that this contamination is something localized, and just as fulminating as it appeared, it disappears at the same speed. I leave the email of Dr. Craig Packer: [email protected] Dr. Packer was directly involved in the study published in Post 547, and although I never communicated with him, he is said to be accessible to receiving good information. 
http://www.strangehistory.net/2013/06/29...pean-lion/
... The Last European Lion June 29, 2013 The ancient Greeks were lion mad. Lions frequently appear in the lively similes of ‘Homer’. They appear in Greek art and in legends: at a guess Pausanias probably has a score of lion legends from around Greece. But can any of this be taken to prove that lions actually lived in ancient Greece or, indeed, in ancient Europe more generally? Take an example. Hercules is said to have killed a vicious lion at Nemea. This might be a confused memory of a lion that had killed many locals or it may be legendary fluff. More problematic in every way is the tale of a lion on the island of Kea (aka Ceos) and a famous statue of the same there: the lion drove some nymphs out, fairies and lions evidently not getting on (?). But was there really, in historic times, a lion on a Mediterranean island? It seems unlikely and the story probably arose to describe a local placename, Leon: placenames and the need to explain them are responsible for countless abuses of history. A nice parallel here about animal extinction and the historical imagination is the British bear. The British bear was probably destroyed in the early centuries A.D. but it features in the Celtic and Germanic naming traditions of the island right through the early Middle Ages to and beyond the eleventh century: i.e. men called Bear. However, with Greek lions there are a couple of sources that give pause for thought and that prevent us from banishing the European lion prematurely. Take this passage from Herodotus describing the Persian descent towards Thermopylae and the three hundred there in 480 BC.
©Brijrajsinh Gohil
 *This image is copyright of its original author ©Ronak Vora  *This image is copyright of its original author ©Rajesh Sejpal  *This image is copyright of its original author ©Munna Darbar  *This image is copyright of its original author ©Salim I Bloch  *This image is copyright of its original author
"THE FAUNA OF BRITISH INDIA", 1888 edited by W.T.Blanford
about the lions of India in the second half of 19th century, after the copy-paste from pdf some parts of the text were demaged. http://faunaofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/fbi/084/index.pdf Monumental and very interesting work having the historical aroma of the British Raj  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author 28. Felis leo. The Lion. Distribution. In India the lion is verging on extinction. There are probably a very few still living in the wild tract known as the Gir in Kattywar, and a few more in the wildest parts of Rajputana, especially Southern Jodhpur, iu Oodeypur, and around Mount Abu. About 20 years ago lions were common near Mount Abu, several were shot near Gwalior, Goona, and Kota, and a few still existed near Lalitpur, between Saugor and Jhansi. One is said to have been killed near Goona in 1873. In 1864 one was killed near Sheorajpur, 25-miles west of Allahabad; and when the railway was being made from Allahabad to Jubbulpoor, in 1866, a fine lion, with a good mane, was shot by two of the engineers near the 80th milestone from Allahabad. About 1830 lions were common near Ahmedabad. Several years previously, in the early part of the century, lions were found in Hurriana to the northward, and in Khandesh to the south, in many places in Rajputuna (one was shot in 1810 within 40 miles of Kot Deji, in Sind), and eastward us far as Rewah and Palamow. It is probable that this animal was formerly generally distributed in North-western and Central India*. I have never heard of lions in Cuteh, and suspect J erdon was mistaken in supposing thenI to be found there. Eastward and north of India the lion is not found, and almost the only part of Western Asia in which it is common is in Mesopotamia and part of South-western Persia. As is well known, this animal abounds throughout Africa. Varieties. For a long time it was supposed that the Indian lion was maneless, and in numerous books off natural history there are accounts of the" Maneless lion of Gllzerat" (F. leo guzrattensis, Smee, Trans. Z. S. i, p. 165, p~. xxiv; P. Z. S. 1833, p.140). It is probable that maneless male individuals may occasionally occur, and it is well known that lions in some parts of Africa, e.g. the Cape and Algeria, have longer manes than in other tracts. It is also asserted that lions inhabiting forests have shorter manes, owing to the hairs being pulled out by thorny bushes, but this is doubtful. It is certain, however, that some adult Indian lions have well-developed manes', and the typical maneless Guzerat lion in the British Museum is immature. The lion figured by Captain Smee ,,73S shot near Ahmedabad, and was a short-maned lion, similar to most Persian or Abyssinya Habits. The habits of tigers and lions are for the most part similar, except that the tiger inhabits more wooded countries. Both animals are mainly nocturnal in their movements, sleeping in the daytime nnd wandering greatly in search of food at night. Both are excessively powerful, and able to kill large animals, such as full-grown cattle, horses, or even camels for food, and both occasionally kill men, and are greatly feared by the inhabitants of the country. Around animals of so ferocious a nature a series of myths have naturally collected, and it is difficult to unravel the true from the false in such traditions. It is not surprising that even intelligent sportsmen, finding that particular classes of natives have a singularly accurate knoledge of the haunts and habits of wild animals, should not always be able clearly to distinguish which of these habits have actually been observed, and which are merely traditional, both being equally believed in by the narrators. Lions are perhaps bolder than tigers, and certainly much more noisy, their habit of roaring, especially in the evening and at night, having necessarily attracted the attention of all who have been in countries infested by them. Of the two the tiger, though standing lower, is heavier in the body, and I think the more powerful animal.. In India lions feed chiefly on deer, antelopes, wild pigs, cattle, horses, donkeys, and camels, and used formerly to kill many of the latter. Whether lions usually kill their prey, as tigers do, by breaking the neck, I cannot say; in the only cow I ever saw that had been killed by a lion (in Northern Abyssinia) the vertebrm ,vera not dislocated. I also saw a lioness hold a camel by the throat for some minutes, without attempting to break its neck . Lions are more easily trained than most of the felines. They often breed in confinelnent*. The period of gestation is about 108 days, and from three to six young (in India it is said two to three) are commonly born ill one litter. The eyes are open at birth. Young lions \vant "the mane, which becomes gradually developed after the full growth is attained."
All sites mentioned in the post #553 marked on satellite image of Indian subcontinent.
Prime habitats on IndoGangetic plain already gone. Asiatic lion last strongholds in India map. (Am out of station, will add an HD screenshot once i get home) Excellent @Rishi initiative and a great @Wolverine book.
If we think about the temporal question, the book presents a considerable geographical expansion. If we had sources bibliographies and texts on the area of occurrence of lions during the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries, greater surprises if would present. I do not want to bring this issue to the surface again as it has been widely discussed in this topic, but there is the still more positive impression that habitat is the limiting factor for the occurrence of lions, not tigers. In the past the overlap of the two species was common in much of India. As much as we try to foster insights into how both species self-regulate, it is impossible to present concrete behavioral factors to respond to how they equilibrated in the same ecosystemic range. Nature can regulate primary competitors in a way that is far from the usual pathways that academic and other stakeholders tend to follow. |
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