Supreme Court greenlights second home for Lions

[Sabyasachi Patra]

The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India finally has brought the long standing demand of conservationists to fruition by ordering that Gujarat Government give a few lions to set up a second home for lions in the Kuno wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. We had taken up this issue in the IndiaWilds Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue II (FEB 2010). http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/indiawilds-newsletter-vol-2-issue-ii/

The Gujarat Government had linked the lions with their pride, though several decades back they had given lions for relocation.

During the arguments before the Supreme Court there were many efforts not to give the lions and it was alleged that Madhya Pradesh doesn't have a good track record of poaching and hence lions should not be given. It was also stated that Kuno has been shortlisted for the introduction of alien African Cheetahs. The Hon'ble Supreme Court thankfully put an end to project as introduction of non-native species is against the grain of conservation. We have had detailed discussions against introduction of African Cheetah in India and it can be found here: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1888

The Hon'ble Supreme Court felt that lions can indeed be wiped out by a catastrophe and has ordered that an expert committee will decide the number of lions to be relocated to Kuno. This process is to be completed within a period of six months.

We welcome this direction of the Hon'ble Supreme Court.

Photo by Shri Anand Madabhushi

[Prashanth Gokul Dwarapu]

The Honourable Apex Court has indeed given a decision that considers the larger picture and puts the welfare of the Asiatic Lion above other factors.For many years studies made by conservationists have strongly indicated the danger faced by the population of the lions as they are vulnerable to being wiped out if an epidemic breaks out or weaken genetically due to prolonged in-breeding.

A new home is an absolute necessity for the species and in Palpur Kuno, it has one waiting for years. Once the translocation is done, which would be a historic event in our conservation history, we hope the royals would thrive in their new kingdom!

[Tiger Ramesh]

This is fantastic news. Hope this gets done quickly. I did not like the way Dr Ravi Chellam got treated post the verdict.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Are you referring to the incident in Gujarat?
Times of India has reported this incident. Sharing the relevant portions here:

"A known expert on lions, Chellam was accompanying a delegation from the Prague zoo. But instructions were issued to treat him as a private guest. The rest of the Czech delegation members were considered as official guests when they checked into the 'Simha Sadan', the main government guest house at Sasan in Gir. Only Chellam was made to pay for the stay and other facilities, including the permit to enter the national park.

Officials believed that Chellam had actually come to identify the lions for translocation within six months, as directed by SC. The Czech delegation was told that Gujarat was willing to give lions for the Prague zoo if they removed Chellam as the consultant.

A frequent visitor to Gir, Chellam did his PhD from Saurashtra University in 1993 on 'Ecology of Asiatic lion'. He later joined the Wildlife Institute of India at Dehradun. In 1995, he co-authored the relocation plan which was quoted by the apex court while passing its order.

"We had gone to Simha Sadan with black flags and placards carrying the message 'Ravi Chellam go back', but he got wind of it and fled," said president of Prakruti Nature Club Dinesh Goswami.

When contacted Chellam said, "I had got information about the protests and was advised to leave for security reasons."
For complete story please check the original article in ToI: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-17/flora-fauna/38615365_1_gir-lions-prague-zoo-asiatic-lion