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Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project
Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project
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Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project
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   *This image is copyright of its original author Will recently returned Persian lion survive threats once pushed it toward extinction? MNA | Faranak Bakhtiari: Long-lost Persian lion is back to the country to conserve the rare species by reproduction, the species which once gone extinct due to excessive hunting and habitat loss, so the question arises, will the endangered species survive the threats which once pushed it through eradication? Disappeared for 80 years, Persian lion once prowled from the Middle East to India, while currently only a fraction of these magnificent animals survive in the wild, which range is restricted to the Gir National Park and environs in the Indian state of Gujarat. On the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, it is listed under its former scientific name Panthera leo persica as Endangered because of its small population size and area of occupancy. Conflicts with humans, wildfires, poaching, habitat loss, canine distemper virus, decreases in population sizes of native ungulates were among the threats pushed the lions toward extinction in Iran, while lack of protection measures and plans is not deniable either. A male Persian lion, born 6 years ago, was sent to Tehran Zoological Garden from Britain’s Bristol Zoo a week ago, under a population management program aiming at endangered species reproduction by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). Under the program, European Endangered Species Programme recommended that a lion couple to be brought to Iran in order to conserve and recover the species once again in their original habitat employing disease control measures. Iran will soon host a female lion of the same subspecies from Ireland to accompany the recently returned male lion through the conservation program. However, questions come up that will the world’s last ranging population of Persian lion raises hope for the species conservation? Does it ensure a stable lion population in the country? First attempts to bring back the precious species In the Iranian calendar year 1350 (March 1971-March 1971), Iran made attempts to bring back Asiatic lion to Iran, under an international project aiming to revive the country’s natural habitats, but it faced Indians opposition. The project was called Arzhan due to the fact that lions once ranged in Dasht-e Arzhan, to Parishan Lake both located in Fars province. Under the project, Iran was supposed to send 4 Asiatic cheetahs to the India and receive 12-16 Asiatic lions in return. Hooshang Ziaei, an environmental expert, told Khabaronline that we made great efforts for the project which mainly focused on rehabilitation of habitats. In this regard, we bought some of the rainforests in proper areas and enhanced the population of wild boar, gazelle and ovis orientalis in these areas, he said, adding, then we increased the population of Persian fallow deer, so that the lion’s habitat was prepared. However, India did not cooperate and the project left unattended, he regretted, adding, the area’s environment also bearded severe damages that led Parishan lake to be dried up. No concern rises toward the species habitat This is while, some of the past experiences have caused some environmentalists to be concerned about the Persian lion’s future in Tehran Zoological Garden, as in the Iranian calendar year 1389 (March 2010-March 2011), 14 lions died in the Zoo due to an outbreak of glanders (an infectious disease occurs primarily by ingestion of contaminated food or water), which is mainly related to not meeting the standards. Mohammad Reza Parhizkar, head of Tehran Zoological Garden, told Khabaronline that “we put in efforts to bring back Asiatic lion for 6 years, so it can be a new beginning for the species to live in its motherland once again.” He went on to note that I believe that it was a positive attempt to help the generation of the species and revive the country’s wildlife. Lions are returned to the country due to the membership of the Tehran Zoo in EAZA, and the organization never allows the wildlife species to transfer to a zoo not meeting the internationally defined standards, Parhizkar also added. Pointing to the traumatic event, he said that the condition is improved compared to 8 years ago, the Zoo is living up to the required standards, and take safety measure strictly to prevent such happenings. So there is no concern about the condition and the place where the animal is being kept, he said, adding that of course, there are still several steps to be taken to conserve Persian lion in the country, perhaps many measures needed to be carried out in this regard. Referring to the lion couple’s future habitat, he noted that Dez forests, in Dezful county located in Khuzestan province, seems to be a proper habitat for the lions due to the presence of fallow deer species, with fencing the roads taken into consideration. Although, several studies must be carried out to determine their natural habitat precisely, he said, highlighting that if the studies demonstrate negative consequences, reproduction of the species in the country will be avoided even through captive breeding in the zoos. Asiatic lions range years ago Until the 19th century, it occurred in eastern Turkey, Iran, Mesopotamia, and from east of the Indus River to Bengal and Narmada River in Central India. Since the turn of the 20th century, it is restricted to the Indian Gir Forest National Park and surrounding areas. Historical records in Iran indicate that the Asiatic lion ranged from the Khuzestan Plain to the Fars in steppe vegetation and pistachio-almond woodlands. It was widespread in the country, but in the 1870s, it was sighted only on the western slopes of the Zagros Mountains, and in the forest regions south of Shiraz. Some of the country’s last lions were sighted in 1941 between Shiraz and Jahrom in Fars province, and in 1942, a lion was spotted about 65 km northwest of Dezful. In 1944, the corpse of a lioness was found on the banks of Karun River in Khuzestan province. Persian lion to remain in Iran Although, current weather and other conditions in the country seems appropriate to bring the invaluable species back to the motherland again, protection plans must be drawn up defining the related issues along with taking necessary measures to prevent the species from facing the threats resulted in their eradication before. Studies on recognizing the favorable habitat for the lions, enhancing the protected areas as well as the rangers, increasing the species’ prey, highlighting the role of NGOs on reintroducing this species, making people acquainted with the endangered species and training the locals to know the value of the Persian lion and prevent any illegal capturing of the animal are among the solutions to ensure a stable lion population in the country. Link : https://theiranproject.com/blog/2019/05/06/will-recently-returned-persian-lion-survive-threats-once-pushed-it-toward-extinction/ 
MP Government approaching SC on not shifting Asian lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh
 *This image is copyright of its original author D. L Borad After the formation of the government, Chief Minister Kamal Nath has written letter twice to the Central Government seeking lions from Gujarat. Quote:MP going to approach Supreme Court of India, to file a contempt petition on non-implementation of lion relocation project to KUNO PALPUR NATIONAL PARK. To bring the Asiatic lion (Babbar Sher) to Madhya Pradesh from Gujarat's Gir Sanctuary, the state government will once again approach to the Supreme Court. The government has started working in this direction. Keeping his side, they will put forward the issue brfore court that even after the order has been passed in the year 2013, the Gujarat government is playing dramas in giving lions. After the formation of the new government, Chief Minister Kamal Nath has written letter twice to the Central Government seeking lions from Gujarat. The Forest Department has also written to the Union Forest, Environment and Climate Change that Palpur Kuno National Park is fully prepared for shifting lions. The state's special strength / coordination committee formed on the rehabilitation of the lion research expedition to Kuno Park a year ago. The experts in the committee after visiting had described that the park as a lump is perfect for lions, but the Gujarat government is firm on giving lions only after completing all the 32 criteria of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) guidelines lines. The MP government has completed 15 of these criteria. While 17 parameters can be completed in long term. Experts also do not mind this as these can be monitored even after shifting process alongside with the project. The state government has kept this fact in front of the central government. They say that it will take many years to complete the criteria. The government is preparing to file a SLP (special permission petition) in the Supreme Court regarding these facts. In this, the Government will tell that even after preparing under the agreement in the year 1993, the Gujarat government is not giving lions. It may be mentioned that in the year 2013, the Supreme Court had directed the Gujarat government to send lions to Madhya Pradesh within 6 months. The state level coordination committees had been instructed to prepare a strategy for shifting lions, but Gujarat did not consider court orders. Shifting stuck for 15 years The shifting of lions in Kuno Park of Sheopur district has been stuck for 15 years. The Gujarat government is not ready to give lions to MP in any aspect. In this regard, there are currently two petitions pending in the Supreme Court.
In this case, we are going to do something soon. Can not tell now. - Umang Singhar, State Forest Minister. Will file SLP We are constantly writing to the central government about lending the lions. Now there is a proposal to do something in this matter at the state level level. The SLP can also be filed in the Supreme Court. - U. Prakasham, Chief Wild Life Warden https://naidunia.jagran.com/madhya-prade...SCfiw7oWsE  *This image is copyright of its original author Quote:Forest Minister wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Forest Minister Umang Singhar has resumed efforts to bring lions of Gir from Gujarat. He has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. Also asked for an appointment with him. During the meeting, Singhar will apprise the PM on the arbitrary attitude of the Gujarat government even after completing the necessary facilities at the Kuno Palpur National Park in Sheopur district. The minister will demand gir lion state as a gift.
The Lion project of the central government started in the year 1994, which is still incomplete. In connection with this project and bringing lions, the state government has been in correspondence with Gujarat and the central government for 27 years. In the year 2003, all information about habitat and prey in Kuno Palpur given to Gujarat.
Now, the government has fulfilled 85 per cent of the technical committee's conditions. The Expert Committee of the Supreme Court has also agreed on shifting of lions to Kuno Palpur. The Supreme Court had given instructions to the Gujarat government to shift the lions within six months of 2013. Even after this, the Gujarat government is not ready to give the lions. However, a contempt petition has been filed in the Supreme Court by RTI activist Ajay Dubey in this case.
Shifting is necessary for conservation Singhar will tell the PM during the meeting that shifting is necessary for the conservation and growth of lions. Their favorable habitat has been prepared in Madhya Pradesh. The climatic conditions here are positive for them. Apart from this, they will also talk about the potential threats to this species in Gir. It will also tell that the people of Gujarat have to bear the brunt of increasing of lion numbers in the Gir Sanctuary leading to conflict. Last month, a herd of lions entered a city. Quote:Efforts are being made to bring lions of Gir in Madhya Pradesh. Has written a letter in this regard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They have also asked for an appointment.https://www.patrika.com/bhopal-news/read...f-5165857/
Wildlife board will prepare strategy to bring lions from Gir
Quote:- Report on making Ratapani Sanctuary a tiger reserve may be discussed. The first meeting of the State Wildlife Board constituted under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Kamal Nath is going to be held in the ministry on 11 October. The issue of bringing the Asiatic Lion from Gujarat's Gir and the report of the technical Committee submitted to the government regarding making Ratapani Sanctuary a tiger reserve will arise in this meeting. Although both these points have not been included in the agenda of the meeting, the officials of the Wildlife Wing are preparing the information when the issue is discussed in the board meeting. Forest Minister Umang Singhar has said several times before that the Gir lion will be brought to Kuno Palpur. Wildlife wing officials will brief the Chief Minister on the efforts being made for 27 years to bring the lions. We will inform you about the correspondence of the lion shifting and the Gujarat government so far and the relationship of Kuno Palpur Park prepared for the lions. It will also mention what formalities have been completed to bring the lions here. Quote:In the meeting, this strategy can be made whether the state government goes to the center or the Supreme Court to bring the lion from Gujarat. In the meeting, the management plan prepared for 526 tigers of the state will also be placed before the board. During this time, the suggestions given by the board members will also be included in the plan. Elephants from other states will be decided Recently, 65 wild elephants have come to Bandhavgarh National Park through the forests of Balaghat from Chhattisgarh. Problems with these wild elephants will also be discussed in the Wildlife Board meeting. In respect of wild elephants, the board will also get an agreement on whether to show the way out to these elephants or to prepare an action plan to keep them there. If the board does not allow these elephants to drive outside the state limits, proposals for requesting special packages from the central government for their habitat-development will be discussed with the board. The name of the state will also be considered for inclusion in the Elephant project run by the Center. https://www.patrika.com/bhopal-news/wild...L2e4e-_Fzc  (05-10-2019, 06:17 PM)Lycaon Wrote: Here is Lake Parishan in the vicinity of Dasht-e Arzhan in Fars Province, where Iran's Project Lion aimed to resettle the lion in 1977: https://books.google.com/books?id=t2EZCS...&q&f=false, https://books.google.com/books?id=esV0hc...&q&f=false Credit, Farid Atar: https://www.panoramio.com/photo/8623955, https://web.archive.org/web/201610110152...to/8836883  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Union Environment Minister instructs MP & Gujarat state committees to resume talks over relocation of Asiatic Lions
Saturday, 23 November 2019 An expert committee was constituted by the Union Ministry for Forest. This committee was supposed to oversee the process of translocation of Asiatic lions to Kuno of Madhya Pradesh, but had only met few times since the Supreme Court order in 2013. Apart from this, State Empowered Committees had also been formed by Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh government in their respective states to negotiate the shifting of Asiatic lions under the chairmanship of Chief Wildlife Warden. The Union Minister for Forest and Climate Change Shri Prakash Javadekar further stated that the translocation of the lions will take place after the in-depth mutual discussion by these committees of both the states in connection to the safety, care, guidelines in the process of shifting and assessment of habitat of lions. He praised the concern of the Minister for Forest Umang Singhar of Madhya Pradesh state for conservation of Asiatic lions, in response to a letter written to the Prime Minister on September 30, 2019, pertaining to the shifting of lions from Gir National Park of Gujarat to Kuno Sanctuary of the state. Sources: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/state-...lions.html https://www.naidunia.com/lite/madhya-pra...ar-3635104 Basically no progress the same delaying tactics of dragging on. 
For those who have followed this project for years, does this recent development look promising or is it just more of the same?
160 deers to be released in Barda as prey for lions
Dur to low preybase in the sanctuary & absence of inviolate habitat, lion relocation there has been postponed by Gujarat government until the forest be restocked with captive-bred herbivores.  *This image is copyright of its original author RAJKOT: Five years after setting up breeding centres for sambar and spotted deer, the forest department is all set to release atleast 160 animals inside the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary as an important step to relocate Asiatic Lions there. They have made the coastal belt near Porbandar their permanent home their range expansion has been far rapid eastwards, compared to the west. Sambars and chital (spotted deers) are the important prey base for lions and they were bred at Killeshwar centre set up near Barda since 2014. Forest department officials said they currently have 55 sambars in Killeshwar and 95 spotted deer in Sat Virda area. All those will be released in the sanctuary area soon. Chief conservator of forest (wildlife circle), DT Vasavada said, “When lion population increases near Keshod and Mangrol, they will require new space and move towards Barda in the next three to five years. We are preparing the future prey base for lions.” Lions were seen near villages of Porbandar district last few years and their sightings have become fairly common along the coastal belt from Mangrol to Madhavpur . In fact, this stretch is considered to the potential natural corridor for lions to move to Barda. Lion expert YV Jhala, who had submitted a report regarding translocation of lions in Barda, told, “Lions will have to be brought in with proper planning. You can’t wait for the lions to colonize in the areas where they are moving. This is because 2-4 stray lions don’t make a viable population.”  *This image is copyright of its original author Experts have welcomed the decision to release deer, but they have emphasized on prioritizing systematic relocation of the human population, mostly maldharis (cattle breeders), living inside the sanctuary area. According to Jhala, Maldharis in Barda are not used to dealing with lions like the cattle breeders in Gir national park do. We have therefore recommended that they be given proper compensation and incentives just like it was done in the tiger reserves.” Priyvrat Gadhvi, a member of state wildlife board said, “In terms of carnivores, prey base is most important factor which will determine whether they would coming into conflicts with humans. At the same time, the forest department will also have to address the presence humans habitants.” Vasavada, however, said, “When lions were seen near Madhavpur, we educated locals. Just as lions adjusted with humans in Gir, it would happen here too with sustained awareness and education campaigns.” https://m.timesofindia.com/city/rajkot/1...666493.cms Excerpt from Asiatic Lion: Ecology, Economics, and Politics of Conservation: Quote:The assessment of Barda (Jhala et al., 2014b) suggested that the landscape (410 km 2 comprising of 190 km 2 of Barda WLS, Alech hills and coastal forest patches) could sustain about 25 lions after creating an inviolate area of about 100 km 2 within the Barda WLS, restocking prey, enhancing protection, and restoring habitats. Currently the sanctuary is inhabited by about 1,325 families of Maldharis in 62 nesses and 98% of them are willing to resettle outside Barda ( Jhala et al., 2014b). The costs of incentivised, voluntary relocation ( Narain et al., 2005) would be close to ₹200 crores.https://www.researchgate.net/publication...ATIC_LIONS
After CDV Deaths, Why no Translocation of Asiatic Lions?
“In a population with reduced genetic diversity, the parasite is more likely to find new victims with the same genetic susceptibility,” says Craig Packer, an expert.  *This image is copyright of its original author The mortality of some 92 Asiatic lions in the Gir forest region has eclipsed the positive news Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared with the world about the increase in their population on Wednesday. “Population of the majestic Asiatic Lion, living in Gujarat’s Gir Forest, is up by almost 29%. Geographically, distribution area is up by 36%,” he tweeted. According to Gir wildlife authorities , the population of Asiatic lions has increased from 523 in 2015 to 674 in 2020. Similarly, the distribution area of lions in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, where Gir is situated, has also increased from 22,000 sq km to 30,000 sq km. However, a news report has raised questions on the veracity of this population result, calling the Block Count Method or Direct Beat Verification a 100-year old archaic methodology which lacks the scrutiny of contemporary science. Bhushan Pandya, member of the state wildlife board and renowned wildlife photographer, said that the lion population estimation was conducted in 24 hours starting at 2 pm on June 5, through lion sightings near water sources or spotting the lion pride through radio collar signals in each forest beat of about 200-250 sq km. He said that a monthly exercise, also known as Poonam (full moon) Avlokan (Count) is conducted during the day and at night, in the light of the full moon. The five-yearly count is done using the same method, but it stretches over two days with the involvement of around 2,000 members, comprising the forest team, people from NGOs, scientists and other experts. This year, many people other than the forest staff could not join, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. As per another report, 92 Asiatic lions have died in Gujarat’s Asiatic Lion Landscape (ALL) since January 2020, according to a Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) committee report. ALL includes Gir National Park and Sanctuary and covers eight districts of Gujarat, including Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Porbandar, Rajkot, Gir-Somnath, Botad and Jamnagar, according to the 14th Lion Population Estimation Report 2015.“Some lions have died of in-fighting and many have died of the canine distemper virus (CDV). At the Jasadhar rescue centre, the two lions shown to the committee were suffering from CDV. This time, 92 have died in five months, while 60 have died in just April and May. The Gujarat government in March 2018 had said that 184 lions have died in two years. DT Vasavda, chief conservator of forest, Gir Forest, told NewsClick that lions have died since January for various reasons such as snake bite, drowning, natural death, infighting and disease Babesiosis. He denied any death due to CDV this year. According to a report, CDV killed at least 36 lions in Gir in 2018 and it has not ebbed till now. That 60% of the lions are outside the protected area and increasing is another serious issue. Shyamal Tikadar, chief wildlife warden, told NewsClick, Quote:“We are walking on the edge of the sword. Major carnivores and humans can not technically live together. We, as human beings and society, are living with animals due to our compassion, education and awareness. We have managed to avoid interfacing with the animals. But as the population of Asiatic lions is growing in Gir, I don’t know how long this coexistence will last.” According to the WII report, 190 lion attacks on humans have been recorded between 2007 and 2016 in the Gir landscape, of which a small proportion (1.3 attacks/year) resulted in human fatalities. While attacks by leopards on humans in the same landscape were 383 between 2011 and 2016, 41 were lethal (7/year). Nishith Dharaiya, associate professor at HNG University, who did his doctoral research on Asiatic lions and is also a member of state wildlife board, said, “The isolated satellite sites frequented by lions at Bhavnagar, Junagarh, Amreli, Girnar, Pania and Mitiyala have been expanded through corridors and extension of the forest as Greater Gir.” YV Jhala, senior scientist with Wildlife Institute of India, said, “In the entire world, Gir is the only 250 sq km of secure area for Asiatic lions. There is 1,200 sq km of Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in the vicinity, which has excellent habitat for lions. The Gujarat government should create a 1,000 sq km national park by rehabilitating the villagers outside the sanctuary. This will create a vast habitat for the expanding lion population to thrive.” However, in order to protect the lions from getting infected from a potential disease outbreak, he advocates reintroducing some of them to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Quote:The Madhya Pradesh government has made “humongous efforts” for reintroduction of Asiatic lions in Kuno National park. H S Negi, additional principal chief conservator of forest, Madhya Pradesh,told NewsClick, “Madhya Pradesh government rehabilitated 1,545 families from 24 villages and expanded the existing area from 345 sq km to 748 sq km, thus up scaling the legal status of Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary to a national park.” Recently 265 more families are being moved. He added that the big buffer is connected to Madhav National Park in MP on one side and Ranthambore National Park of Rajasthan on the other side with contiguous forest cover. The rising population of lions can easily be accommodated in this huge landscape in the future. “The present population of Asiatic lions has grown a lot from the original stock of about 20 animals. In case of a disease outbreak, the entire population can collapse. Hence, we need to trans locate at least a couple of lion prides to a geographically isolated place,” he said. Faiyaz A. Khudsar, noted wildlife biologist, who has also filed a PIL in the apex court to trans locate lions to MP, told News Click, Quote:“Our country is home to the whole population of Asiatic lions. Therefore, it belongs to the entire world. We shoulder the bigger responsibility of its protection.” He also referred to the outbreak of the CDV that had reportedly killed 1,000 of the 3,000 lions in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park in 1994. Craig Packer, director of the Lion Research Centre at the University of Minnesota in the US and part of a team involved in mitigating the CDV outbreak at the Serengeti sanctuary, inferred that the inbred lion population is more susceptible to infectious diseases. “In a population with reduced genetic diversity, the parasite is more likely to find new victims with the same genetic susceptibility.” Ravi Chellam, chief executive officer at Meta string Foundation and an Asiatic lion expert, said, “The Supreme Court on April 15, 2013, had ordered to trans locate Asiatic lions to Kuno within six months of its order. When that did not happen, a contempt petition was filed. I feel extremely saddened to say that nothing has happened and the matter is being delayed for one reason or the other, while CDV has already claimed so many lions in Gir.” https://www.newsclick.in/CDV-Deaths-Tran...ons-Forest
What Decides Where Big Cats Live in India – Conservation Policies or Politics?
 *This image is copyright of its original author The four big cats (clockwise from top-left): A lion in Gir, a king cheetah somewhere in Africa, an Indian leopard in Nagarhole and a Bengal tigress with her cubs in Bandhavgarh. Full credits in the footer. During his Independence Day address this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that in the coming days, the government would launch a ‘Project Lion’ to help conserve Asiatic lions. According to former Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi launched Project Lion in 1972 “as India’s first species conservation programme”. Ramesh is currently the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on science and technology, environment and forests, and a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka. As such, Project Lion joins a list of projects advanced by previous governments that the Modi government has rehashed. On August 16, an unnamed ministry official reportedly said Project Lion won’t be involved in translocating lions. He was referring to the process of moving some Asiatic lions from Gir in Gujarat to Kuno in Madhya Pradesh, like the Supreme Court had ordered in April 2013. The court noted that the translocation is “of utmost importance … to preserve the Asiatic lion, an endangered species” and called for it to happen within six months. In 1994, a canine distemper virus outbreak in Tanzania’s Serengeti national park had killed around a thousand lions. An epidemic of similar magnitude in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region could wipe out the local population of Asiatic lions there. So the court wanted the population to split up – to not have all eggs in the same basket. However, seven years later, the translocation is still pending. According to Ramesh, “the reason is only one. One man” – alluding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his oft-expressed reluctance to allow his home state to part with its lions. This argument is strengthened by forest officials in Gujarat being open to translocations within the state. The first plan to establish a second home for India’s lions was born in 1995. The government drew up a 20-year-vision to be deployed in three phases. The first major problems crept up in the second phase: between 2000 and 2005, even though 24 villages in Kuno with more than 1,500 families had given up their ancestral land to make way for the lions, the Gujarat government, under the chief ministership of Modi, refused to move the cats. This dispute went to the Supreme Court and culminated with the order to setup a second lion population in Kuno. But while Gujarat hasn’t complied, multiple disease outbreaks and inbreeding have only strengthened the case for a second home. Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar and the forest departments of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have yet to explain why they haven’t followed through. Lion conservation and politics The most popular rationalisation for why Gujarat doesn’t want to share its lions seems to be Gujarati asmita – or pride. This tack gives the state an excuse to claim it is doing the right thing, and hide the influence of, among others, the tourism lobby. India’s Asiatic lions all live in the Saurashtra region. This localisation has created opportunities for ‘lion tourism’ that “bureaucrats, politicians and local communities” have exploited “to gain mileage and economic privileges, often at the cost of the long-term conservation interests of Asiatic lions,” according to a paper published in August 2019. While the efforts of local people have helped conserve lions in the region, the paper continues, the state monopolised the lions and used them “as an instrument of political and bureaucratic gain”, which influenced “the public psyche” and kept the Gujarat government reluctant to move lions to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. As if mirroring this reality, the local sentiment in Kuno is in favour of reintroducing lions to Madhya Pradesh. “Politicians from Sheopur district,” where Kuno is located, “sometimes ask the [state] government about lion introduction… They have seen how Ranthambore’s tourism industry has developed,” Dharmendra Khandal, a conservation biologist who works out of Ranthambore National Park, told The Wire Science. According to him, the politicians have made up their minds about the benefits of translocation to the extent that they have already relocated 24 villages and the underlying land converted from revenue to forest land to host the big cats. Khandal also said the local forest department hopes to reintroduce cheetahs as well, again to improve tourism revenue, and has accordingly been “prepping” the landscape. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) previously identified the scrub habitat of Kuno-Palpur in Madhya Pradesh as one of a few areas to relocate African cheetahs. (The others include the grasslands of Velavadar in Gujarat and Tal Chhapar in Rajasthan.) The Kuno landscape consists of dry deciduous forests. “It might look like a grassland in some areas but this is because, when villages were relocated [to make way for the lions], agricultural fields that were left behind became grasslands in the first stage of succession,” Khandal said. In the next stage, these grasslands become scrub forests and, in the third, forests with bigger trees. “But [the forest department] is uprooting shrubs and trees and making false grasslands because they want to introduce cheetahs [in Kuno National Park].” When he asked forest department officials why they wanted cheetahs and lions, he said they told him that Madhya Pradesh already has six tiger reserves and many sanctuaries and national parks that have both tigers and leopards. With cheetahs and lions in the mix, the state will have all four big cats for tourists. But Khandal isn’t convinced. “The area is a natural woodland and is not suitable for cheetahs, and the leopards here can also kill cheetahs,” he said. A story in reverse India has thus far undertaken two major translocations: when tigers were reintroduced to Sariska in Rajasthan and Panna in Madhya Pradesh, after both these reserves had been ravaged by poachers. Jairam Ramesh oversaw both these exercises, in 2008 and 2009, as the country’s environment minister at the time – and he went “purely by the advice of the NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India.” He added that while some local-level politicians tied to mining interests were opposed to translocation, some others supported it to revive tourism. And “the existence of local-level political leaders who supported translocation actually helped me substantially.” There is a well-known nexus between politicians and businesspeople engaged in marble-mining, stone-quarrying, etc. in and around the Sariska tiger reserve in Rajasthan. Ghazala Shahabuddin, a senior scientist at the Centre for Ecology, Development and Research, Dehradun, said the mining lobby in the Aravalli mountains, which run from Delhi to Gujarat, is “very strong” – and they seemed to be keen to “denotify the [Sariska] tiger reserve” once it had lost all its tigers. However, a Rajasthani asmita – rooted in the shame of having a tiger reserve with no tigers – eventually moved the needle, with a dash of politics. “Rajasthan’s [Ranthambore and Sariska reserves] were among the first ten tiger reserves in the country under Project Tiger,” Shahabuddin said. These lands previously belonged to Maharaja Jaisingh of Alwar. A similar story played out in reverse at the Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha. In 2018, two tigers – a male from Kanha and a female from Bandhavgarh (both in Madhya Pradesh) – were brought to Satkosia, as the first two of a planned six. However, the project was suspended last year after the male was killed by a snare that villagers had set for wild pigs. The female tiger now lives in an enclosure. “She was forced into the human dominated, prey-depleted parts of the park because the only undisturbed and prey-rich portion of the core area was the territory of the last remaining resident tigress of Satkosia,” Aditya Panda, an Odisha-based conservationist, told The Wire Science. According to him, Satkosia’s management hadn’t planned the reintroduction well enough, and rushed it even before they had the requisite number of trained staff and other resources. “Local politicians never wanted tigers here because they wanted votes from people living inside these forests,” Panda said. So the politicians dissuade the people from relocating to accommodate the tigers because they politicians don’t want their electoral constituencies to move. The local forest department has also failed to gain the trust of the same people. So all said, it doesn’t look like tigers are returning to Satkosia anytime soon. https://science.thewire.in/environment/l...-politics/ 
There is something I don't understand about the way the Indian government is approaching Asiatic lion reintroduction. There are many Asiatic lions living in zoos in India, why not breed some of them in a dedicated breeding program and then release the progeny in the wild in, for example Madhya Pradesh, or elsewhere. Couldn't that bypass the Gujarat government altogether? Given the relatively high reproductive rate of lions, they could have a decent wild population outside of Gujarat by now if they had been breeding captive ones for reintroduction. If it's impossible to use lions in Indian zoos then the Indian government could request gametes from lions held in Europe or elsewhere. Once the population is large enough, they could trade with Iran - some of the lions for Asiatic cheetahs. I mean, even Iran, a whole other country and apparently the reciprocal antagonist of India in this process, has managed to get a hold of an Asiatic lion that they are going to try to breed, so can the Indian government do so as well?
Project Lion: Proposal identifies 6 relocation sites apart from Kuno-Palpur
The proposal seeks to create free ranging lion populations within Gujarat and in India to counter lack of genetic diversity within Asiatic lions  *This image is copyright of its original author Six new sites apart from the Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary have been identified under Project Lion that was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi August 15, 2020, on the lines of Project Tiger and Project Elephant. The programme has been launched for the conservation of the Asiatic Lion, whose last remaining wild population is in Gujarat’s Asiatic Lion Landscape (ALL). The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), along with the Gujarat Forest Department, had created a Project Lion proposal and sent it to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on September 15. Down to Earth (DTE) has accessed the proposal. The six new sites identified for possible lion relocation in the future include:
 *This image is copyright of its original author Lion relocation has been talked about since 1995, when the Kuno Wildife Sanctuary was identified as an alternate site. The motive behind finding a relocation site for the species is because the population in Gir has low genetic diversity, making it vulnerable to threats of extension from epidemics. Quote:For the first time, the entire genome of the Asiatic lion has been sequenced by scientists from CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad. The full genome sequencing of Gir lions has shown them to be lacking genetic diversity in comparison to other lion populations and historical samples of Asiatic lions, the proposal said The proposal sought to create free-ranging lion populations within Gujarat and in other states to counter this problem. Currently, the only free-ranging population of about 674 Asiatic lions exists in the ALL that is spread over approximately 30,000 square kilometres. ALL includes Gir National Park and Sanctuary and covers eight districts of Gujarat, including Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Porbandar, Rajkot, Gir-Somnath, Botad and Jamnagar, according to the 14th Lion Population Estimation Report 2015. “Lions are currently surviving in this landscape as a metapopulation wherein Gir PA acts as a ‘source’ and other satellite pockets act as ‘sinks’ and individual lions from different breeding meta-populations can potentially disperse among these populations,” the proposal said. However, while the proposal has identified these new sites, the Gujarat Forest Department has still not carried out the Supreme Court order of 2013 directing the state to relocate lions to the Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary. The Centre and Madhya Pradesh government had already spent approximately $3.4 million from 1995 till 2007 for relocating 24 human settlements from Kuno-Palpur and for other habitat management interventions. “The Centre and Gujarat government should relocate lions to Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh and then proceed with the proposals of Project Lion,” Ajay Dubey, the petitioner in the Supreme Court case, said. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wild...lpur-73922 Apart from lion, Project Cheetah is underway with tremendous pace, cheetahs will be relocated to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh very very soon. Funds were already allotted after recent SC order to reintroduce cheetahs. (Google latest cheetah relocation news in India). @Lycaon |
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