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[Sanju]

Ambulance, hospital in the offing for Asiatic lion

Kalyan Ray, DH News Service, New Delhi, Feb 08 2019, 21:30pm IST updated: Feb 08 2019, 23:53pm ist

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The Gir National Park currently houses more than 600 Asiatic lions. AFP file photo

A dedicated ambulance and a new veterinary hospital are among the sops that the central and Gujarat governments plan to bring in for better conservation of the Asiatic lions at their only home in Gir forest.
They would be part of the new Asiatic Lion Conservation project, launched on Friday by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest in collaboration with the Gujarat government.
The hospital would come up in Gir for which Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar, has been appointed as a consultant.
The Gir National Park currently houses more than 600 Asiatic lions. With the rise in lion population, the Gujarat government has in the past notified the adjoining areas of Girnar, Pania and Mitiyala as sanctuaries to widen the protected area network.
To further improve the world's only habitat of the Asiatic lion and protect them better in the wild, the two governments joined hands for the three-year-long conservation project costing Rs 97.85 crore. The cost would be shared at the 60:40 ratio between the centre (Rs 58.71 crore) and the state (Rs 39.14 crore).
Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan presented the first instalment of Rs 17.03 crore to Gujarat officials, who said the money would be a part of a bigger and ambitious Rs 350 crore project to improve the lion conservation measures.
But five years after a Supreme Court judgement on the second home for Asiatic lions, the officials said there was no decision on the translocation of lions from Gir to Kuno Palpur sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, identified as the potential second site way back in 1993.
While the apex court asked the ministry to take “urgent steps for re-introduction of Asiatic lion from Gir forests to Kuno”, Soumitra Dasgupta, Inspector General of Forest at the ministry said an expert committee created for advising the government on the translocation met six times since its formation in 2013 and was yet to submit its recommendation.
“But we have not shut our eyes to the issue,” observed Vardhan.
One of the key reasons to find out a second home for the lions was the threat of a disease outbreak that can wipe off the population in the wild.
Last year, at least 24 lions died at Gir because of an outbreak of Canine Distemper Virus. “We imported vaccines from Atlanta, USA last year and used a part of the dose. The rest are with us and can be used if there is a need,” said R Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Gujarat.

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/am...17428.html

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Centre allocates Rs 59 crore for Asiatic Lion conservation in Gujarat's Gir
The minister assured the state that this project will be a model scheme in the times to come and would not be like a routine affair.
PTI| Feb 08, 2019, 06.23 PM IST

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The project will use modern information and communication technology for conservation and protection efforts of the Great Gir Region.
NEW DELHI: In a bid to protect and conserve lions, identified as one of the endangered species by the government, the Ministry of Environment Friday launched a three-year Asiatic Lion Conservation Project in collaboration with the state of Gujarat, which is the last habitat of the big cat.

The Rs 98-crore project, for which the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has allocated Rs 59 crores, spans three years -- 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 -- will focus on better management of the lion habitat, disease control and veterinary care for them.

While launching the project, Union minister Harsh Vardhan released an amount of Rs 17 crore to the Gujarat government for the implementation of the project aimed to protect over 600 lions in the state's Gir sanctuary in its first year.

The minister assured the state that this project will be a model scheme in the times to come and would not be like a routine affair.

"I am very happy that efforts are being made to conserve lions. It is god's blessing that such initiatives are taken for the wildlife in our country. I assure the Gujarat government that this will not just be a routine project but a model scheme for wildlife in India in the times to come," Vardhan said.

The project will use modern information and communication technology for conservation and protection efforts of the Great Gir Region, including GPS-based animal and vehicle tracking, automated sensor grid with movement sensors, night vision capability and real-time monitoring and report generation, the government said.

In addition, a Gujarat government official said that Rs 80 crore will be spent on specialised veterinary hospitals and full fledged ambulances for lions.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new...902744.cms

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Rs 59 cr for lion conservation
IANS | Updated: Feb 9, 2019, 06:15 IST

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representative picture

With the aim to protect and conserve the world’s last ranging free population of Asiatic Lions, the Ministry of Environment on Friday launched a three-year Asiatic Lion Conservation Project in collaboration with Gujarat. The project, at an estimated cost of Rs 98 crore, for which the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has allocated Rs 59 crore to Gujarat’s Gir sanctuary, will span over three financial years -- 2018- 2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.

https://ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.com/a...908005.cms Reply