Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Four lions enter GIDC in Junagadh; prey on calf

| TNN | Updated: Feb 27, 2018, 15:26 IST
Four lions enter GIDC in Junagadh; prey on calf
RAJKOT: Lions of Gir reached Junagadh city which is an urban area and near to Gir sanctuary. Four lions entered in GIDC (Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation) estate in Junagadh city and prey on calf.
The live footage of lion’s prey is taken on mobile and GIDC’s CCTV.

According to locals, 4 lioness entered in the GIDC area which is adjacent to city after midnight on Monday, they were hunting and nabbed a calf. Video shows how four lioness crash over their prey. According to locals as the lion’s population increased due to space crunch in Gir forest, lions are seen outside Gir forest area.

According to 2015 census there are 523 lions in Gir.

In Video: Caught on cam: Four lioness kill cow in GIDC area of Junagadh
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/four-lions-enter-gidc-in-junagadh-prey-on-calf/articleshow/63092740.cms

Weeds threaten Gujarat’s pride & prey

| Feb 27, 2018, 07:16 IST
RAJKOT: Gujarat’s pride and its prey are both facing a fast invading foe. Two shrubs — lantana camara and cassia tora — spreading in the Gir forest are threatening to drive out not only the Asiatic lions but large number of herbivorous animals like deers too.
Experts and forest department officials said that the spread of lantana camara (locally known as indradhanu) is so rapid that removing them is proving to be a Herculean task. The problem of these ‘obnoxious weeds’ is not new and has been observed for nearly two decades now. But the failure to nip them in the bud is now threatening to hurt Gir ecosystem.

The thorny lantana and cassia tora (locally known as kaalmukho) stop the growing of grass and other shrubs that the herbivorous feed on. As a result, large swathes of land in the national park and sanctuary have very little grass. The deers, nil gai, black bucks and other herbivorous animals don’t eat plants of either of these shrubs. The longterm impact is the potential danger of lions moving out in revenue areas in search of prey, thus increasing chances of human-animal conflict.

A forest official said that lions usually like open spaces but in several ranges these are also depleting due to thick vegetation of lantana. The uninhibited spread, much akin to gando baval (prosopis juliflora), could also threaten existence of trees like caria, oak and karanj, which are essential for wild animals. Lions often take shelter in the coppice of caria trees, especially in summer.

The spread of lantana camara is so rapid that removing them is difficult

‘It’s a challenge to remove these invasive shrubs’

When these herbivores animals won’t get food, they won’t survive and if they won’t survive, it will be difficult for lions to get food. The entire ecosystem will be damaged,” he said.

Cassia tora is another plant of the legume family that renders the land nonfertile by not allowing grass to grow.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/weeds-threaten-gujarats-pride-amp-prey/articleshow/63088788.cms

Forest department to start wildlife awareness drive

| Updated: Feb 26, 2018, 08:38 IST
Around 4 lakh students are expected to take part in the competitionsAround 4 lakh students are expected to take part in the competitions
RAJKOT: Forest department will be launching the biggest ever wildlife awareness campaign in Sasan on March 3 the World Wildlife Day. The theme for this year decided by United Nations is ‘Big cats: Predators under threat.’
As part of the awareness campaign, the forest department will organize essay and painting competitions for children on wildlife conservation subjects.
They are expecting participation of nearly 4 lakh students, which the department claims will be biggest ever.

Children of schools across five districts of Greater Gir landscape — Junagadh, Gir-Somnath, Amreli, Bhavnagar and Botad — will participate in the event.

Primary school children will take part in painting competition while higher secondary school kids will participate in essay competition. Ram Ratan Nala, superintendent of Sasan, said, “We want children to write and draw on the theme of wildlife conservation. We want them to express their imagination as the activity is more of an awareness programme then competition.”

As Gir forest holds one of the highest densities of big cats — lions and leopards — in a single, compact patch of any landscape, it would be a meaningful to raise awareness about conservation of these animals as well as ecosystem, said the forest department in an official release.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/forest-dept-to-start-wildlife-awareness-drive/articleshow/63071887.cms

Walk on the wild side

Susheela Nair Feb 24 2018, 23:00 IST
Nilgiri Tahr Nilgiri Tahr
As the convoy of elephants trundled their way through the dew-laden grasslands in Kaziranga National Park, I came across a pair of one-horned rhinos gently grazing in the elephant grass. This was my first rendezvous with rhinos, in their natural habitat. Built like a battle tank on stubby legs, the rhino is the star attraction of the park. From my lofty vantage point on elephant back, besides the endangered one-horned rhinos, I spotted wild water buffaloes, hog deer, and also hundreds of swamp deer trot past wild boars before they retreated into the high vegetation. This wildlife Eden also shelters hoolock gibbons, tigers, leopards, capped langurs, sloth bears, jackals, and pythons. It is also the most beautiful national park in the subcontinent, with superb ponds, lakes and rivers where otters frolic and herds of elephants splash around.
Lower down, in West Bengal, as the boat cruised through the muddy estuaries and mangrove forests in the Sundarbans National Park, my eyes kept peeled for the tigers which are rarely seen but always sensed. Sprawling over 26,000 sq km, it is the largest single tract of a unique mangrove ecosystem in the world. Water bodies crisscross the forest and separate the hundreds of islands that dot the delta. Here, in the tangle of mangrove roots, a unique mid-world between sea and land, I saw only saltwater crocodiles and mudskippers (fish that climb tree). These are among the many wonders of this wild paradise. Travelling across the mangrove-lined backwaters of Sunderbans and communing with nature at its rawest level was itself an unforgettable experience!
To experience Kipling country, I visited Madhya Pradesh, Kanha, Pench and Bandhavgarh which provide among the finest wildlife experiences available on earth. Bandhavgarh is also steeped in history, myths and legends besides playing host to a bewildering variety of animals. As Bandhavgarh flaunts the largest density of tigers in the country, it is seldom that one returns from Bandhavgarh without seeing a tiger emerging out of the tall grass, or pursuing the pugmarks crossing the jeep tracks. I had my first darshan of a tiger in the wild here. It was an experience that was both magical and mysterious. The bird life here is no less astounding, with as many as 250 species of nesting in the park, including the stately adjutant stork. In Kanha and Pench I went on wildlife safaris scouting for the Sher Khans, but luck was not on my side. My wildlife jaunts took me to Gir Forest, where I had my first fleeting glance of a lion and lioness lolling a few feet away from the jeep.
Down south in Kerala, I followed the footsteps of the nimble-footed Nilgiri Tahr, a highly endangered animal, listed in the IUCN Red Data Book, which lives in herds on the steep black rocky slopes of the mountains of Anaimudi in the Eravikulam National Park. About one-third of the world's population of Nilgiri Tahr reside in these emerald grasslands. In 2006, I witnessed in this unique ecosystem the spectacular blooming of Neelakurinjis.
At Periyar Tiger Reserve, I had glimpses of nature's wonders while the boat glided along the picturesque Periyar Lake, the sanctum sanctorum of the reserve. I sighted elephants ambling along the banks of the lake, gaurs grazing peacefully on the grasslands along the wooded waterfront, darters and cormorants drying their wings perched on the ghostly deadwood protruding from the lake. This reserve is synonymous with Asiatic elephants, but sightings of tuskers have become very rare.
This wildlife haven also houses several endangered species like the lion-tailed macaque, small Travancore flying squirrel, Salim Ali's fruit bat, and the rarely sighted Nilgiri Marten. Though there are more than 40 tigers in the reserve, they are rarely sighted. Of the 160 species of butterflies spotted here, the Travancore evening brown, one of the rarest butterflies in the world, was spotted here after a gap of several decades.
A community-based ecotourism initiative originated in this blessed place where rehabilitated poachers-turned-forest protectors earn their livelihood as guides and facilitators. I was lucky to witness the Chitra Pournami festival at the scattered ruins of the ancient Mangala Devi Temple that forms a part of the core area of the reserve. The forest road to Mangala Devi is open only once a year to the public when pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and Kerala congregate to offer worship to this deity.
Valued ageing
In Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, the sight of Kannimara Teak, the world's oldest and largest teak tree (girth of 6.57 m and a height of 48.5 m), left me gaping in wonder. It takes five adults to encircle it with their hands outstretched. This living relic of the once-luxuriant natural teak forests was awarded the Mahavruksha Puraskar by the Government of India in 1994-95. In this unique wilderness area I saw three dams that serve as freshwater storage reservoirs, and the first ever scientifically managed teak plantation. With a rich diversity of bird life, Parambikulam is a great birding getaway, once the favourite haunt of ornithologist Salim Ali.
Located along the western corner of the Nilgiris in Palakkad district, the Silent Valley National Park deserves a special mention as it came into the limelight in the 1970s, when the government planned to dam the river. The protests that followed were the beginning of the environmental movement in India. And the entire valley was declared a national park in 1985. It is one of the last vestiges of undisturbed tropical evergreen rainforest which covered most of the Western Ghats. Ecologists call it an 'ecological island', one that boasts of a wealth of biological and genetic heritage. It is called the Silent Valley, yet I could hear it throbbing with the sounds of the forest.
There is an incredible number of sanctuaries and parks that I have not journeyed to. Ranthambore National Park, which is widely regarded as one of the best parks for tiger sightings, is one of them. Tadoba also has become a hotspot for tigers. Each national park has its own signature wildlife. In Tamil Nadu, the lesser-known Mudumalai National Park, Kalakad-Mundanthurai, Point Calimere can provide unending delight and a variety of experiences to nature enthusiasts. From Chennai, every January, I used to go to Vedanthangal, the oldest water-bird sanctuary, when it resonates with the melodious birdsong - of the winged visitors of exotic plumage. Other winter havens for migrants are Point Calimere and Pulicat Lake where large flocks of flamingoes can be spotted.
Karnataka boasts of some of the largest jungle tracts south of the Vindhyas. From the majestic evergreen forests of the Western Ghats to the scrub jungles of the plains, a wide variety of habitats teem with diverse flora and fauna. Bandipur, Bhadra, BR Hills, Nagarhole, Kudremukh and Kali tiger reserves boast of admirable heterogeneity of faunal heritage. Though elephants take the lead role in Bandipur and Rajiv Gandhi national parks, it is also the land of roars. Photographers troop to these reserves to capture wildlife in close proximity. Ranganathittu is my favourite bird sanctuary where I have experienced the thrill of a boat ride that took me within touching distance of the birds. Kokkarebellur, where pelicans and painted storks live in harmony with villagers, is claimed to be one of the best among the 46 community reserves in the country.
The genesis of Indian wildlife can be traced back to the days of yore when royalty used the jungles as their hunting ground. They had an unsurpassed communion with wildlife. Bandhavgarh was once the shikargarh of the maharaja of Rewa. The Baghel Museum has on display ancient hunting equipment used by him. Even late Rajmata Gayatri Devi, the maharani of Jaipur, indulged in hunting, right from the days she was the princess of Cooch Behar, a state in North Bengal, which perhaps has an unrivalled record of big game shooting in all of eastern India. The Keoladeo Ghana preserve was created by the maharaja of Bharathpur at the turn of the century to attract migratory birds, which he and his guests took pleasure in shooting! Even the venerable forest of Bandipur was once the private hunting ground of Mysuru's royalty. In Mughal and British India, tigers were hunted for prestige as well as for taking as trophies. During the reign of Mughals, efficient hunters were awarded titles such as 'Hunt Master', and in the first phase of the reign of East India Co, tiger hunters were highly rewarded. Subsequently, many hunters turned into conservationists.
Wildlife first
Wildlife conservation in India through dedicated parks started with the Jim Corbett National Park in 1936. India's first national park was established in 1936 in Uttarakhand as Hailey National Park, which was later rechristened as Jim Corbett National Park. The rich saga of Indian wilderness, started by the legendary Corbett, continued. By 1970, India only had five national parks. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act to safeguard the habitats of endangered species. Project Tiger was launched by the Government of India in 1973 to save the endangered species of tigers in the country. Starting from nine reserves in 1973, currently, the number of tiger reserves is 50, with a total area of 71,027.10 sq km. Tiger population, as per the last census, is 2,226. Further, federal legislation strengthening protection for wildlife was introduced in the 1980s. As of July 2017, the number of national parks has burgeoned to an impressive total of 103, encompassing an area of 40,500 sq km, comprising 1.23% of India's total surface area. The number of wildlife sanctuaries has increased to 544.
Quite a few important faunal habitats have gained recognition after their inclusion in the 'biosphere reserve' and the 'world heritage site' programmes. However, many species of the wild fauna and flora still remain greatly endangered, and so do their habitats. The loss of these fragile habitats is counterproductive to wildlife conservation efforts. Equally disheartening is the poaching activity rampant throughout the country, made worse by matters beyond the control of conservationists. The introduction of site-specific innovative conservation measures will help save many endangered species.
The wildlife movement has caught the fancy of people, and wildlife tourism is growing by leaps and bounds, something that could not really have been envisaged when the first national park was declared around 1935. The need of the hour is not tourism control, but tourism management. Concerted efforts should be made to divert the attention from tiger-centric tourism, which has become the norm in our national parks. I have seen overenthusiastic drivers embark on 'tiger-chases'. Tiger fixation leads to a bizarre concentration of vehicles, which often causes distress to the beleaguered animal, besides destroying the serenity of the forests. One has to break the mould and concentrate on other equally interesting denizens of the forest such as small mammals, birds and butterflies through ecologically sensitive means.
From this World Wildlife Day, celebrated on March 3, whenever we visit a sanctuary, let's remember that we are guests in the animal's habitat, and that we have to be quiet, considerate, and respect our hosts and their space.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/661318/walk-wild-side.html

PM Modi Launches Rs 1000-crore Development Schemes For Daman & Diu

Somnath temple and Gir forest are located around 80 kilometres from Diu. Ahmedabad to Diu road journey takes 12 hours and the air-connectivity reduces the travel time to just an hour.
PTI

Updated:February 24, 2018, 4:28 PM ISTDaman: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched development schemes worth Rs 1,000 crore for Daman and Diu, and also inaugurated a flight connecting Ahmedabad to the coastal town of Diu.

The Prime Minister, who inaugurated Air Odisha's flight connecting Ahmedabad with Diu under the Centre's regional connectivity scheme UDAN, said air connectivity will boost tourism in the region.

He also launched a helicopter service connecting Daman and Diu at an event here. "The air connectivity will boost tourism as tourists who want to visit the Somnath temple, Gir forest (in Gujarat) can now go (there) from Diu," Modi said.

Somnath temple and Gir forest are located around 80 kilometres from Diu. Ahmedabad to Diu road journey takes 12 hours and the air-connectivity reduces the travel time to just an hour.

PM Modi also laid the foundation stones for a slew of projects, including a water treatment plant, a gas pipeline, an electric sub-station, a municipal market and a foot-bridge for the union territory.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated anganwadis (child care centres) and schools constructed under corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. On the occasion, he distributed e-rickshaws to women and scooters to differently-abled beneficiaries.

PM Modi said his government has launched schemes worth around Rs 1,000 crore today for development of Daman and Diu. Earlier in the day, PM Modi arrived at the Surat airport where he was accorded a grand welcome. People gathered in large numbers to greet him on both sides of the road in Daman.
https://www.news18.com/news/india/pm-modi-launches-rs-1000-crore-development-schemes-for-daman-diu-1671089.html

Saturday, February 24, 2018

East African lions dying of poisoning

Inside East Africa’s largest national park, Ruaha in Tanzania, stands a group of conservationists with six carcasses of dead lions before them.
Beside the lions is another carcass of a cow, which they seem to have been eating before they met their death. The Ruaha Carnivore Project (RCP), an organization working with communities living near the park to promote co-existence, said in a statement last week that after alerts from the park, they found a “devastating scene” where the lions, four females and two males, had been killed apparently by poisoning.


“This event had additional tragic consequences, with dozens of critically endangered vultures found dead or badly affected. RCP worked closely with colleagues from Wildlife Conservation Society Tanzania Program, the [Tanzania National Parks Authority] authorities and other local agencies, and they eventually found 74 dead vultures as well as the six lions,” the statement said.
RCP said preliminary investigations pointed to the possibility that someone poisoned the cow carcass after lions attacked his cattle. But this is not the first incident and this is not the only part of the region where the activity is ongoing.
East Africa is known as the home of the big five game animals and you cannot miss to see at least one in any country you choose to visit; and now one of them, the lion, is under threat, because of attacks from the community especially through poisoning and from trophy hunters, and poachers.
Conservationists say many communities that live near the parks are ranchers and livestock keepers whose animals are always attacked by the predators. These, like poachers, have become big threats to national parks and wildlife.
“Alarmingly, poisoning is a common response to conflict, and this highlights how vital it is to do all we can to prevent carnivore attacks on stock, and reduce chances of retaliatory killings,” the statement reads in part.
What should be done, according to the organization, is to put up predator-proofing enclosures and engaging communities, but it maintains that much more is still to be done in protecting grazing livestock, a particularly challenging venture.
The organization, however, says such attacks have been reduced of recent.
“It is also vital to secure the wildlife management areas and – probably most important of all – make sure that local people receive real benefits from wildlife, so they eventually see them as more of an asset alive than dead,” they said.
Tanzania has the largest number of lions remaining in Africa to a tune of over 16,000 but they are being threatened by trophy hunting, poaching and retaliation killings by communities near parks.
Poisoned lion in Kenya. Photo: Marsh Pride of Lions Facebook Page
Two years ago, researchers from the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of St Andrews in Scotland analyzed the density and population distribution of the African lion in three of Uganda’s national parks.
In two of the parks surveyed, Queen Elizabeth national park and Murchison Falls national park, lion populations have decreased by 30 per cent and 60 per cent respectively over the past 10 years, which the study attributes to poisoning and physical killing of the lions by nearby communities.
Only in Kidepo Valley national park, in the northeastern part of the country was the number of lions found to be increasing, climbing from 58 to 132 in the last decade.
The dwindling number of lions in the region could be a threat to the region’s tourism sector if massive sensitization and protective measures are not adopted.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) gives a percentage of its revenue to the communities where the national parks are situated, as a way of improving the sense of direct stakeholding in the parks. Already districts are earning hundreds of millions of shilling from UWA under this partnership.
Interesting facts about lions
• The East African lion (Panthera leo melanochaita) is a lion population indigenous to East Africa.
• Lions occur in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
• The reputed king of the jungle is extinct in Djibouti, Egypt and Eritrea.
• African lions are the most social of the big cats and live together in prides. A pride consists of about 15 lions.
• Females do most of the hunting. Despite this, the males eat first.
• The lion is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list of threatened species.
• The lion was once found throughout Africa, Asia and Europe but now exists only in Africa, with one exception. The last remaining Asiatic lions are found in Sasan-Gir national park in India, which was primarily created to protect the species.
• A lion’s roar can be heard from as far as five miles away.
• Even though the lion is referred to as “king of the jungle”, it actually only lives in grasslands and plains. The expression may have come from an incorrect association between Africa and jungles.
• The darker the mane, the older the lion.
• A lion may sleep up to 20 hours a day.
• The female may mate approximately every 15 minutes when she is in heat for three days and nights without sleeping, and sometimes with five different males due to physical exhaustion of males when only one or two are involved.
Compiled from the Internet.
kamogajonathan50@gmail.com
http://observer.ug/lifestyle/57009-east-african-lions-dying-of-poisoning.html

PIL filed against night stays at Kankai temple



| Updated: Feb 22, 2018, 07:17 IST
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat high court on Wednesday issued notice to the state government and forest authorities in response to a PIL objecting to the state government’s decision of allowing 50 pilgrims night halt at Kankai temple inside the Gir National Park and sanctuary, the last abode of the Asiatic lion.

Rajkot-based NGO, Wildlife Conservation Trust, has filed the PIL against the government’s circular issued in September 2017, by which permission has been granted to the Kankeshvari Jeernodhar Samiti to let 50 devotees stay inside the sanctuary at night. The petitioner has claimed that this was nothing but a back-door entry for tourists and for those who indulge in hunting inside the protected area, which otherwise is strictly prohibited. The Kankai temple is situated in Ankolvadi range in the protected area. The trust governing the temple has put up illegal construction in the sanctuary, the petitioner alleged. Initially, very few devotees were visiting the temple, but the flow increased during 1990s and entry of vehicles in the sanctuary also increased due to this.

In August 1993, the state government banned night halts by pilgrims in Kankai and Banej temples. The pilgrims were required to obtain permit to enter the sanctuary during day and were allowed only when in state transport buses.

However, the decision taken by the state government to allow night halt for 50 pilgrims has created dangerous situation for the wildlife in Gir, which is home to the endangered species like lions, the petitioner has contended, and demanded immediate revocation of the permission granted to the temple authority.

A bench headed by Chief Justice RS Reddy has sought reply from the principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden as well as from the temple trust by March 28.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/pil-filed-against-night-stays-at-kankai-temple/articleshow/63021120.cms

Video shows trucker chasing lions in Gujarat forest

| TNN | Updated: Feb 21, 2018, 15:49 IST
Video shows trucker chasing lions in Gujarat forest
RAJKOT: Depicting miserable conditions of Asiatic lions, a video is being widely circulated on social media platforms in which a trucker is seen chasing a lioness and its three cubs in Greater Gir forest area.
According to the local villagers, the video was shot near Pipavav Port state highway in Rajula taluka of Amreli district in Gujarat.

The truck driver is speaking in Hindi and is chasing lions while a person sitting next to him is capturing the video on his mobile phone. The truck might have come to Pipavav Port from outside the state.

The video shows a lioness and three cubs running in fear as the truck chases them.

“Forest department has hired trackers and deputed foresters in all lion habitats but they are careless in protecting the endangered animal," wildlife activist Atabhai Wagh said,

The higher officials of the forest department are investigating the matter. 
 
Whats the big deal, the trucker is just taking video of the lions which are foolishly running ahead. Imagine if the lion had just stepped aside then you wouldn''t be seeing this video. Mind it that h... Read MoreKiron P

However, it's not a one-off incident. A video went viral in November last year showing a biker chasing a lion. The forest department had assured inquiry after an outrage, but till date nobody has been booked.

The apathy of forest department has created outrage among animal lovers and lion protection groups.
In Video: Video shows trucker chasing lions in Gujarat forest
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/video-shows-trucker-chasing-lions-in-gujarat-forest/articleshow/63012718.cms

Gujarat Budget 2018-’19: Ahmedabad gets Rs 592 crore for metro train project

The Opposition walked out of the Assembly after Speaker Rajendra Trivedi asked Congress MLA Harshad Ribadiya to leave.

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel presented the first Budget of the newly-elected Assembly on Tuesday. While the government has allocated Rs 592 crore for a metro train project in Ahmedabad, a sum of Rs 780 crore will be spent to generate jobs, The Financial Express reported.
The Opposition walked out of the Assembly during the Budget speech after Speaker Rajendra Trivedi asked Congress MLA Harshad Ribadiya to leave because he was throwing groundnuts in the House, according to The Indian Express. Ribadiya had started shouting slogans when Patel hailed the government’s efforts to procure groundnut and cotton from farmers at minimum support price.
The state’s fiscal deficit reached an all-time low of 1.42% of the gross domestic product in 2016-’17, the government said.
Major highlights of the announcements made in the state Budget for 2018-’19:
  • The state will spent Rs 300 crore to develop sea plane services and new airports.
  • The government allocated Rs 899 crore to construct Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Statue of Unity.
  • Four new cyber crime police stations will come up in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Mehsana for a cost of Rs 1 crore.
  • The government allocated Rs 2,800 crore for 10 schemes that intend to provide drinking water to people in tribal areas.
  • Rs 14,895 crore will be spent on river Narmada and other water resources in the state.
  • The government announced Rs 27,500 crore for education.
  • The government announced Rs 506 crore for Gujarat Binanamat Educational and Economical Development Corporation.
  • A provision of Rs 64 crore was made to provide free bicycles to 1.84 lakh girls.
  • “Project Lion”, which plans to protect the Asiatic lion from extinction, was allocated Rs 4 crore.
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Zoo calls for unwanted perfumes to 'enrich' animals' environments

Kyra, an Asiatic lion, clawing at a post that's been scented with perfume.
Kyra, an Asiatic lion, clawing at a post that's been scented with perfume. Photo: Dudley Zoo
Animal handlers at Dudley Zoo are calling for people to send in their unwanted perfumes and aftershaves as environmental 'enrichment for big cats and primates.
Keepers regularly use strong scents to encourage the animals to use their natural behaviours.
The scents are squirted on posts and climbing frames around enclosures, which persuades animals such as lynxes, lions and tigers, to track the smell. For primates, various fragrances are squirted onto blankets and sheets, which allows them to pick up on a smell they like or dislike.
Assistant Curator Jay Haywood, made the appeal to the public, saying:
Unfortunately our stocks are running low, so if any of our half term visitors have unwanted bottles they can donate to us, we’d be very grateful.
– Jay Haywood - Assistant Curator at Dudley Zoo

Miscreants set ablaze lion habitat in Amreli village

By TOI
| Sunday | 18th February, 2018
Rajkot: Some miscreants set ablaze a portion of forest under revenue area where lions were often seen in Datardi village of Rajula taluka in Amreli. Miscreants know that this is lion habitat and that’s why they set it ablaze. Lions are seen in different parts of Amreli like Liliya, Rajula, Jafrabad, which is a revenue area, but because of lion’s habitat, this area is known as Brihad Gir.According to a complaint given to forest department by locals, some miscreants set ablaze the trees to scare the wildcat. According to locals, there have been movement of eight to 10 lions in the area, which is known as Brihad Gir. There is a water tank where generally the lions come to drink water.Wildlife activist Aatabhai Wagh, who has registered the complaint with the forest department, said, “Last week a lioness gave birth to a cub here.
Rajkot: Some miscreants set ablaze a portion of forest under revenue area where lions were often seen in Datardi village of Rajula taluka in Amreli.
According to locals, there have been movement of eight to 10 lions in the area, which is known as Brihad Gir.
Lions are seen in different parts of Amreli like Liliya, Rajula, Jafrabad, which is a revenue area, but because of lion’s habitat, this area is known as Brihad Gir.According to a complaint given to forest department by locals, some miscreants set ablaze the trees to scare the wildcat.
There is a water tank where generally the lions come to drink water.Wildlife activist Aatabhai Wagh, who has registered the complaint with the forest department, said, “Last week a lioness gave birth to a cub here.
Miscreants know that this is lion habitat and that’s why they set it ablaze.
https://www.nyoooz.com/news/rajkot/1036813/miscreants-set-ablaze-lion-habitat-in-amreli-village/

Gujarat will offer concept tourism

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‘Gujarat will offer concept tourism’
Jenu Devan, Managing Director and Commissioner of Gujarat Tourism, talks to Sangeeta Yadav about the recently launched border tourism and his plans to start the international Buddhist circuit, Dandi heritage zone and a solar energy village
What are the new initiatives of Gujarat Tourism?
We are promoting Gujarat in a big way with some upgradation of existing facilities and introduction of new tourism concepts. We are making big museums, exhibitions and other basic amenities for tourists. As a state, Gujarat has almost everything to offer including the coastline, Gir forest, Mahatma Gandhi’s presence, Buddha circuit and so on. The USP lies in the festivals which include the Rann of Kutch jamboree, Navratri and the innternational kite-flying festivals. These are attracting a lot of domestic and foreign tourists. Now, we have identified seven big golf courses and documenting our birds to develop niche tourism.
How many tourists visited Gujarat in 2017?
We had around 4.5 crore travellers last year, an increase by 17 per cent from the past two years. Out of them, 98 per cent were domestic tourists and two per cent were foreign tourists. We are getting a lot of travel agents on board to know what foreigners are expecting from us.
The Ministry of Tourism has announced 2018 as the Year of Adventure Tourism. How are you working towards developing it?
This is one area that we will be focussing on. Though we have forest safari within the sanctuaries, and organise paragliding and mountaineering expeditions, we will soon be coming up with guidelines for better supervision and safety.
You have recently launched “border tourism” in Gujarat. How has the response been?
We started the concept on December 16 at Nadabet in Banas Kantha district and since then it has picked up really well.  As part of the package, tourists are taken to the Pakistan boundary to get a look and feel of the place. There is an exhibition centre which showcases the way BSF patrol guards live there. By  sunset, the tourists are taken back to the BSF camp and they get to see the beating retreat ceremony. The only difference between Wagah Border and Nadabet Border is that the latter is one-sided.
What was the idea behind developing an international Buddhist circuit?
In the 1960s, remnants of Lord Buddha were found in a casket recovered from Meshwo Dam in north Gujarat. This has been being preserved at the Baroda Archaeological Museum in MS University. We are planning to come up with a big Buddhist complex that will house 150 m-high statues of the Buddha and host exhibitions showcasing  Buddhist sites, culture and tradition. Maybe, we will develop the tourist sprawl near the riverfront or the reservoir. We have worked out a circuit that takes you through the Buddhist caves and viharas that are mainly found in Junagadh, Gir, Somnath and Bhavnagar. We have already identified these under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme and are getting a lot of support from the Central Government. This will attract a lot of tourists from East Asia.
How are you promoting the sites of the Indus Valley civilisation?
We have two sites showcasing the Indus Valley culture. One is in Kutch and the other is in Lothal, more than 50 km away from Ahmedabad. We already have a museum which is being upgraded. Along with the Ministry of Shipping, we are coming out with a National Maritime Heritage Complex where culture, handicrafts and artifacts of that period will be showcased. Even the Maritime University is under construction. We are the nodal agency for the entire project.
Gujarat has one of the few sun temples in the country which is the biggest attraction for pilgrims. Any special plan?
The sun temple in Modhera in Sana district is already under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Central Government. To expand this, we are planning to make Modhera village into a solar energy-based self-sustainable unit along with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. We want to make it a world class tourist destination.
How is the Dandi Heritage Circuit shaping up?
It is already under way and we are stretching this to the  Dandi beach at Navsari so that the tourist can experience the most important phase in Mahatma Gandhi’s life up close. We are also building a big Dandi Museum, showcasing his teachings and philosophy, and making it interactive, especially for the younger generation. We already have the basic infrastructure in Rajkot, Porbandar, Ahmedabad,  Sabarmati Ashram and others.
Photos: Alwin Singh
http://www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity/gujarat-will-offer-concept-tourism.html

Forest dept's apathy towards injured lions irks Gujarat villagers

| TNN | Feb 14, 2018, 14:15 IST
The injured lions were spotted near Surajbadi dam of Savarkundala taluka.The injured lions were spotted near Surajbadi dam of Savarkundala taluka.
RAJKOT: Villagers in Gujarat's Amreli district have expressed their dissent over apathy shown by the forest department towards an ijured lion and a lioness.
The two injured creatures were spotted near Surajbadi dam of Savarkundala taluka. The villagers informed the forest department officials about their situation as the lioness was seen limping heavily while the lion had scratch marks on its foot. However, no action has been taken in this regard in the last 12 days.
lioness

Villagers fear that the lioness might succumb to its injuries if it doesn't get timely treatment.
The locals have captured the pictures and videos of the big predators.

Aatabhai Vagh of Nature Lion Foundation said “We spotted this lion couple in this situation 12-13 ago and informed the forest officers. But they did not provide them any treatment. This is the case of utter carelessness and it seems that lions are at the mercy of forest officials.”

“I have no knowledge of this, I will inquire about it. The lion couple will be taken to hospital,” deputy conservator of forest Gir (east) Dr T Karuppasamy said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/forest-depts-apathy-towards-injured-lions-irks-gujarat-villagers/articleshow/62914662.cms

Of Crumbling Forts, Faded Havels and Horror Films

By kavita kanan chandra  |  Express News Service  |   Published: 10th February 2018 10:00 PM  |  
Last Updated: 10th February 2018 06:33 PM  |   A+A-   |  
Tomb of Bahar-ud-Din Bhar
Driving through the old town of Junagadh towards an ancient Buddhist cave gives the impression that the faded façades of old houses and havelis on the way have trapped the place in a time warp. You cross numerous maqbaras, mosques and ornate buildings showing its rich historical past. ‘Junagadh’ literally meaning ‘old fort’ lives up to the antiquity of its name: there are old forts, mausoleums, caves and ancient temples scattered across the town that gives a sepia tinge to travel.
The ancient town is an amalgamation of religion and culture, evident in its historic architecture. Its history stretches from the invasions of the Greeks (Alexander’s foray in India), the expansion drive of the Mauryas, Chudasama Rajputs, the Gujarat Sultanate, to the Babi dynasty nawabs under the Mughals. 
assortment of spices in a shop
The tastes of Junagadh’s various rulers have influenced its architectural landscape. For history buffs, this makes a compelling reason to visit. Vertical thrill seekers are assured of an adrenaline rush by climbing the 9,999 steps from the Girnar Taleti to the Girnar Hills; the highest peak in Gujarat.
Hailed as an important pilgrimage site for both Jains and Hindus, it takes a hardy pilgrim and ample devotion to undertake the climb. While on a quest to explore the earliest of the three Buddhist caves dating back to 3rd-4th century AD, you have to tread a bit cautiously through narrow roads of the old city.  The caves tell their own stories: while buying a ticket to enter the Khapra Kadiya caves protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, the ticket seller informs that its latest claim to fame is that a Bollywood horror film was shot there. The other two cave groups, Baba Pyare caves are in Uparkot fort. 
Junagadh is heaven for spicing up life: local vendors can be seen selling mounds of spices. They supposedly come from Goa by sea and are fresh and reasonably priced. Spice shopping done, take a stroll to the ancient fort of Uparkot built during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya in 319 BC. You could peep through telescopes for just `10 to pay long distance obeisance to the revered Amba Mata temple and Gorakhnath temple. Entering the ornate triple gateway of Uparkot which is built on a plateau, the first sight you come across is a large cannon, still watching over the city. The fort was besieged 16 times but has never been taken. 
As you pass the Damodar kund, don’t miss a white building that houses Ashok Lekshila—a boulder carved with the edicts of Emperor Ashoka in Pali. Though hunting was a royal past time of that age, Junagadh had its own green king:  its last nawab Mahabat Khan III was an animal lover. Thanks to his efforts the Asiatic lions have survived in Sasan Gir forest since he had banned hunting and declared the area a protected forest reserve. Credit also goes to him for breeding fine Kathiawari horses and the Gir cows. Now the kings are gone, but the past lives on.
Nearby places
Veraval (83 km from Junagadh) is a coastal town with a bustling port and one of India's leading fishing centres. 
Somnath (87 km from Junagadh) The historic Somnath temple stands in a beautiful garden on the beach. It houses one of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas and sacred to Shiva devotees. 
Sasan Gir Wildlife Sanctuary (80 km from Junagadh) The last home of the Asiatic lions makes for a wonderful wildlife experience. You require a prior permit to enter the sanctuary.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/travel/2018/feb/10/of-crumbling-forts-faded-havels-and-horror-films-1770434.html

London Zoo: Let's get counting!

8 February 2018

Endangered Asiatic lions at Paignton Zoo prevented from breeding due to TB


Maliya and her cubs at Paignton Zoo
Maliya and her cubs at Paignton Zoo
Breeding of Endangered Asiatic lions has been suspended at Paignton Zoo following a single case of TB found in an antelope at the park last year.
Staff at Paignton Zoo are taking steps to control breeding in some animals and one of those to receive a contraceptive implant is five-year-old Asiatic lioness Maliya.
This is the result of a single case of TB discovered at the zoo last year. One antelope died in May 2017 and ten more had to be culled in September.
Executive director Simon Tonge said: “Even a single positive case of TB leads to movement restrictions on mammals. This prevents us from being able to move young mammals on to other collections. Hence the need to curtail breeding.
“There are lots of fit and healthy breeding animals here, representatives of rare and endangered species, many of which, like the Asiatic lions, are part of international efforts to conserve their species. In fact, Maliya and Lucifer are the second most important breeding pair in Europe. It’s frustrating, but we have to manage them responsibly until we can resolve the situation. We only have so much space.”
Maliya’s veterinary procedure involved a general anaesthetic, a quick operation to insert the contraceptive implant under her skin and a general health check. It was carried out by Paignton Zoo’s in-house vet team in the off-show lion den.
Paignton Zoo’s pride of rare Asiatic lions consists of two cubs, male Yali and his sister Arya – born in June 2016 – along with mother Maliya and father Lucifer, who is 15. Maliya and her mother, 14-year-old Indu, who completes the group, were both born at Paignton Zoo.
Fewer than 300 Asiatic lions survive in the wild (in the Gir National Park and Lion Sanctuary in India). Consequently the Asiatic lion is classified as Endangered, which means that the best available evidence indicates that it is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
Senior Head Keeper of Mammals Rob Rouse; “Even though the European Endangered species Programme for Asiatic lions is keen for these animals to continue breeding, we need to be responsible about managing the space we have so we don’t run out of room. We need to keep our animals to the highest standards at all times.”
Zoo staff have discussed animal contraception with international experts. EAZA, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, has a specialist team, the EAZA Group on Zoo Animal Contraception, a group formed to gather knowledge on the use of contraception in zoo animals across Europe. With regard to TB the Zoo is working closely with the Animal Plant and Health Agency, the government agency that runs alongside DEFRA.
Executive Director Simon Tonge said: “The knock-on effects of TB are as bad as the disease itself. We hope to get the TB restrictions lifted as quickly as possible. Like any farmer in a similar position, we must take direction from DEFRA.”
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park is a registered charity. For more information visit paigntonzoo.org.uk or call 01803 697500.
http://www.smallholder.co.uk/news/15922499.Vital_pair_of_Endangered_Asiatic_lions_prevented_from_breeding_due_to_TB/

Vigilante fear kills deal to rear Gujarat’s Gir cows in Kerala

  | TNN | Feb 6, 2018, 07:19 IST
AHMEDABAD: Terror of gaurakshaks has prompted the LDF government in Kerala to junk its ambitious deal to breed Gujarat's famed Gir cows in God's own country.
A delegation led by K Raju, Kerala minister for animal husbandry, had in September met his the then counterpart Babu Bokhiria seeking 200 Gir cows to rear the breed, known for its high milk yield, with a view to enhance milk production and boost the dairy sector. Fearing attacks by self-styled cow vigilantes, Raju had also sought assurance of a safe passage through Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Four months down the line, Kerala has developed cold feet and cancelled the deal. Confirming the development, Raju told TOI, "Considering the current situation where incidents of violence by gau-rakshaks are rampant, we have preferred not to sign the deal to bring Gir cows to Kerala fearing attacks during transit."
 
"We are evaluating a possibility of transporting Gir cows from Gujarat to Kerala by rail. We may approach Gujarat government afresh with a new proposal if it is possible to ferry cattle by train two three months later," Raju added. Minister of state for animal husbandry and cow-breeding Bachu Khabad said he does not immediately have details of the deal with Kerala.

The Gir cow breed is indigenous to the Gir forest and surrounding regions in Saurashtra and is known for its high milk yield. Ironically, while the Gir cow's transportation to Kerala was junked due to absence of safe passage, the breed is the toast of white revolution in South American country Brazil which has around 50 lakh heads of this unique breed.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/vigilante-fear-kills-deal-to-rear-gujarats-gir-cows-in-kerala/articleshow/62798435.cms

Cow mania grips India in run-up to parliamentary elections

India has 30 percent of the world’s cattle population. (Supplied)
Cow mania has gripped Hindu-majority India that boasts 30 percent of the world’s cattle population. And the current long line of political shenanigans being perpetrated upon the populace by the powers-that-be indicate that the cow-related rhetoric will continue to make headlines till the bugle is sounded for the parliamentary polls in April next year.
Day after day since Narendra Modi was crowned the Prime Minister in 2014, the federal government or a state administration announces a cow welfare scheme, or a Hindu leader throws tantrums over protection for bovines, or a gaushala (cow shed) for unfit cattle springs up and is quickly inaugurated by a VVIP.
Some 100,000 technicians were last year ordered to fan out across the country to affix an electronic tag with a 12-digit unique identification number inside an ear of each of the staggering 88 million cows and buffaloes for tracking them for timely vaccination and scientific intervention for better breeding and higher milk production.
Incidents of cows with monstrous horns knocking down pedestrians are on the increase. (Supplied)

National animal

In yet more religiously-skewed projects, the government is seriously contemplating creating a separate cow ministry, setting up a cow sanctuary in each state and even declaring cow as the national animal, never mind the recent rise in the number of incidents of the cows with monstrous horns knocking down pedestrians or starving to death in gaushalas.
“India under Modi seems to be gradually turning into a cow republic”, says Gujarat high court advocate Iqbal Masud Khan, adding that the so-called cow vigilantes’ overzealousness has already led to deaths of 11 cattle owners.
In May last year, the Modi regime, like a bull at a gate, slapped a ban on the sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter at animal markets in the world’s largest beef-exporting country, emboldening the cow vigilantes to take law into their hands. But the Supreme Court later lifted the restrictions which would have not only made mincemeat of India’s $4-billion beef exports but would have also taken the bread out of the mouths of 3.5 million people employed by meat and leather industries.
Owners of many cow sheds complain of lack of funds, fodder and medical facilities. (Supplied)

Corporate donations

President Ram Nath Kovind is himself fond of milk of “desi” cows who are being reared in his majestic official residence, the Rashtrapti Bhavan. The newly-appointed Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandi Patel is also so nutty about cows that soon after taking charge last week, she rushed to all gaushalas in the state capital, cheering the cockles of the Hindus’ hearts.
During the past three years, such cow shelters received record donations worth Rs 15 million from 11 top-drawer companies as part of their corporate social responsibility programs, a rare, rosy gesture not seen in the pre-Modi era. However, like the two oldest gaushalas in Uttar Pradesh did recently, owners of many cow sheds keep beefing about lack of funds, fodder and medical facilities, triggering death of their dumb denizens.
Last week, Modi’s home state of Gujarat – where life sentence is awarded for cow slaughter – launched a first-of-its-kind cow tourism project to lure day-trippers who hitherto made a beeline to the state only to watch the Asiatic lion. Tourists are now being taken on a two-day trip of some of the best-kept cow shelters and grazing spots to witness bovine rearing and conversion of cow urine and dung into products like soaps, phenyl, biogas, medicines, fertilizers and incense sticks.
Many companies have donated huge funds to gaushalas or cow sheds. (Supplied)

Economic benefits

“Cow tourism is all about combining the religious aspect of the cow with the economic benefits. Many of the tourists have started rearing cows and built cow sheds after the trip,” asserts Vallabh Kathiria, chairman of the state cow service commission and former federal minister.
According to him, jails in Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Bhuj already have cow shelters and soon other prisons and even colleges and universities will have such shelters on their premises.
The obsession with cows rose to mind-boggling proportions in Gujarat, especially during 2011-14 when Modi, as chief minister, handed cash rewards to countless eager-beaver volunteers for raiding ‘illegal’ cattle transporters, and green-signaled huge grants for Kathiria’s cow commission.
But now cow promotion has also been a priority with the 19 states ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While Uttar Pradesh has started cow health fairs, Haryana is experimenting with ‘cow therapy’ to help prisoners ‘cleanse their sins’ and turn over a new leaf before they are released from the correction houses. Indeed, this state also has a 24-hour cow helpline where people could tip off the cops about cow smuggling or slaughter.
According to Abdul Lakhani (left), the cow has always been an effective tool for the Hindu right-wing led by the BJP to divide people communally. (Supplied)

Cash-strapped states

What’s more, cows have become cash cows for even cash-strapped Indian states: while Punjab has imposed “cow cess” on liquor and vehicles, Andhra Pradesh demands tax on cow urine used in medicines. As cow obsession magnifies, and cow vigilantes, refusing to chicken out despite Modi’s warning, become more violent ahead of the general elections, minority Dalits and Muslims remain a worried lot.
Abdul Hafiz M Lakhani, senior journalist and editor of Gujarat Siyasat, told Al Arabiya English that the cow had always been an effective tool for the Hindu right-wing led by the BJP not only to divide people communally but also to divert their attention from real issues like unemployment, farmer’s suicides, demonetization, etc.
“Cow politics always brings Hindu votes to the BJP. Dalits and Muslims have been targeted by the so-called ‘Gau Rakshaks (cow protectors) on mere suspicion of storing beef and transporting cow. An atmosphere of fear, threat and intimidation prevails in the country in the guise of cow politics,” he sums up even as taking a selfie with a cow is now all the rage among young Hindus, making India perhaps a laughing stock before the world.
Last Update: Thursday, 1 February 2018 KSA 11:24 - GMT 08:24

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2018/02/01/Cow-mania-grips-India-in-run-up-to-parliamentary-polls-.html