Asiatic lion may roar at new home in Kuno-Palpur sanctuary

The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the conservation of native wild cat Asiatic Lions a priority over the imported exotic feline African cheetah.

A day after the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) proposed that it intended to go ahead with the cheetah project in the Kuno-Palpur Sancutary in Madhya Pradesh, which has been prepared for the translocation of Gir lions, SC restrained the Centre from going ahead with the Rs300 crore Cheetah Reintroduction Programme. Put in context, this greatly increases the probability of shifting a few of the Asiatic Lions to Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary in the coming months.

The issue of relocating Cheetah from Namibia was raised during the hearing of the matter on relocation of Asiatic Lions from Gir Sanctuary to Kuno Sanctuary in MP.

MoEF informed the forest bench comprising justices KS Radhakrishan and CK Prasad on Monday that it intended to go ahead with African cheetah re-introduction from Namibia within the next two months. Kuno was prepared to accommodate a pride of lions a few years back, but when Gujarat refused to part with any lions, MoEF decided to reintroduce African cheetah there last year.

Senior advocate PS Narasimha, the amicus curiae in the lion relocation case, filed an application seeking a stay on the implementation of cheetah project. The court granted the stay and the matter has been scheduled for further hearing in July after the court returns from vacation.

Narasimha said the proposal for reintroduction of Cheetah "has not been either placed before the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, nor has there been a considered decision taken in this regard". He stated in an application that "scientific studies show that the African Cheetahs and Asian Cheetahs are completely different, both genetically and also in their characteristics" and the reintroduction of Cheetah was also against the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines on translocation of wildlife species.

"In fact, the (IUCN) guidelines categorically warn against the introduction of alien or exotic species. The African Cheetah obviously never existed in India. Therefore, it is not case of intentional movement of an organism into a part of its native range," the application stated.  

Asiatic Cheetah became extinct in the country in the 1950's. In July 2010, the environment ministry had cleared the proposal to reintroduce African Cheetah to India. The Centre had recently sanctioned first tranche of Rs 1.9 crore to Madhya Pradesh for preparation of the habitat for the animal at Kuno Palpur sanctuary in Sheopur district. Narasimha pointed out that Prerna Bindra, a member of the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife has 'categorically opposed the Cheetah project, on rational and logical consideration'.

"She has pointed out that Rs 300 crore have been allocated for the Cheetah project and the cost of each Cheetah is going to be Rs 2 crore whereas the total budget for Project Tiger is a mere Rs 80 crore for 600 national parks and sanctuaries," it said.

He added that the director general forests/special secretary, MoEF PJ Dilip Kumar had a given 'strong note' against introduction of African Cheetah into India but it was ignored and not even mentioned in any of the proceedings dealing with this project.

It said that the introduction of alien or exotic species is universally shunned by wildlife experts and "in fact countries such as South Africa, Australia are spending huge amount of funds to eradicate and remove exotic wildlife species from wilderness areas or wild habitats".

Narasimha also sought a direction the MoEF to produce before the apex court all relevant records and decisions relating to introduction of cheetah. He said the Indian Cheetah in genetic composition is a different animal than the African Cheetah and a different sub species altogether and "therefore one cannot be introduced in place of the other".

http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/GUJ-AHD-asiatic-lion-may-roar-at-new-home-in-kuno-palpur-sanctuary-3236580.html

Gir lioness loses tail to gangrene

TNN May 9, 2012, 02.46AM IST

She has lost her tail to a war of supremacy on the periphery of Gir sanctuary! A young lioness had a narrow escape when gangrene infected her tail.

The incident took place at Jasadhar range in Gir east when the forest officials realized that the lioness had a swollen tail , when they observed that a foul smell always seemed to envelop her.

Deputy conservator of forest Anshuman Sharma said "After assessing the situation, doctors were of the opinion that the gangrene has set in too deep and if the tail was not amputated, it might prove to be fatal for the lioness."

The doctors then decided to carry out the operation without waiting for any further treatment and finally in order to save the gangrene from further advancing the lioness had to sacrifice her tail, said Sharma.

"When the lioness was rescued, we saw that the lower portion of her tail was missing. On investigation, we found that the lioness had injured herself in the territorial infighting," said officials.

"Usually, such minor injuries do not require treatment and the animal, by licking its wound, heal it. But in this case of this lioness had not only developed maggots but was also infected with gangrene."

Initially, when the lioness was brought to the rescue centre at Jasadhar, she was treated with heavy antibiotics. But the treatment did not stop the advancing gangrene.

Sharma said that he was posted in Gir for the past two years. This was probably the first incident that he came across where a body part of an animal had to be amputated because of gangrene. He said that the lioness was now stable since last four days.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-09/ahmedabad/31640768_1_gir-lioness-jasadhar-tail

Supreme Court stays Cheetah reintroduction project

NEW DELHI, May 8, 2012

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the Cheetah Reintroduction Programme by which the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had proposed to import the African large-sized feline to India.  

A forest bench comprising justices K.S. Radhakrishan and C.K. Prasad restrained the government from going ahead with the Rs. 300 crore project in the wake of questions being raised that a “totally misconceived” venture was pushed without consulting that National Board for Wildlife (NBW) which is a statutory body for the enforcement of the wild life law.  

The issue of relocating Cheetah from Namibia was raised during the hearing of the matter on reintroduction of Asiatic Lions from Gujarat’s Gir National Park and Sanctuary and surrounding areas to Palpur Kuno Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh pursuant to a decision taken by the NBW.  

During its hearings, the bench was informed that the MoEF has decided to introduce African Cheetahs from Namibia into the same proposed habitat prompting senior advocate P.S. Narasimha, the amicus curiae in the case, to file an application seeking a stay on the implementation of the same.  

Mr. Narasimha said the proposal for reintroduction of Cheetah “has not been either placed before the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, nor has there been a considered decision taken in this regard”.  

He stated in an application that “scientific studies show that the African Cheetahs and Asian Cheetahs are completely different, both genetically and also in their characteristics” and the reintroduction of Cheetah was also against the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines on translocation of wildlife species.  

“In fact, the (IUCN) guidelines categorically warn against the introduction of alien or exotic species. The African Cheetah obviously never existed in India. Therefore, it is not case of intentional movement of an organism into a part of its native range,” the application stated.

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article3397756.ece

MP wants lions before cheetahs

Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 17:45 IST


The battle for relocation of Asiatic lions to Kuno Palpur in Madhya Pradesh took a fresh turn on Monday. The Union ministry of environment and forest informed the Supreme Court that they intend to go forth with their plan to reintroduce the cheetah in India at Kuno this monsoon. This came as a surprise to the petitioners and Madhya Pradesh government as the cheetah project will push lion relocation by at least two more years.

Last year, when the lion relocation project was caught in a limbo and the sanctuary was already readied for a wild cat, the National Board for Wildlife in India (NBWLI) had identified Kuno Palpur as the best location from among various sites across the country.

Now that the case is moving ahead in SC, environmentalists would prefer the Asiatic Lion as it is an endangered species.

Environmental lawyer Ritwick Dutta says the cheetah do not serve the purpose of wildlife conservation. “They are killed in Namibia as their expanding population cannot be accommodated. About 150 of them are to be brought as part of the Centre’s cheetah reintroduction project,” he said.

Interestingly, the Great Rann of Kutch was short-listed as one of the sites for reintroducing the cheetah but the NBWLI chose Kuno for the first phase.

Another lawyer, associated with the case, said the Centre seems to be in “advance stages of the project and they said the wild cat can be imported in two months. But the amicus curiae opposed the move by the Centre and insisted that the sanctuary has been identified for lions and they should be given a priority”.

The hearing will continue for two consecutive days now as the court wants to conclude the arguments before vacations. The Madhya Pradesh government and wildlife experts have proposed to shift some lions from Gir forest in Junagadh to MP to create a different gene pool. Gujarat has refused to part with any lions, and the matter reached the apex court about six years ago. The case is in the last stages of hearing.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_mp-wants-lions-before-cheetahs_1686101

MP govt seeks nod for cheetahs from Namibia

Bhopal, Sun May 06 2012, 00:23 hrs


The programme to reintroduce the cheetah in India has been taken a step further with the Madhya Pradesh government seeking Customs clearance for the first of 13 animals to be brought from Namibia.

The project is already running behind schedule and formalities like getting an import licence and meeting conditions under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora are still to be completed. The wildlife department said it would soon get clearance but would take some more months to bring the animal to Kuno Palpur sanctuary.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mp-govt-seeks-nod-for-cheetahs-from-namibia/945905/

Five held with tiger skin near Ambaji

TNN May 2, 2012, 10.38PM IST


Five persons, including two women, were arrested with tiger skin, claws, nails, teeth, paws, bear's organs, musk and other parts of wild animals in their possession from Ambaji on Tuesday.

On a tip-off, forest department officials have been keeping a vigil for last three months and had intensified the hunt further for the gang engaged in selling the wild animals' body parts.

"We laid a trap sending a fictitious customer to settle the deal at a place close to Ambaji temple," deputy conservator forests, Banaskatha, J V Vyas said.

"We are taking this very seriously and also do not rule out the involvement of inter-state or international gangs involved in world's second largest illicit business," Vyas said.

The accused are just manual workers, but the actual masterminds are at large. "The seized skin and other organs have been sent to forensic science laboratory for verification. If they are genuine, it would cost more than Rs 10 lakh," he added.

The accused have been identified as Shashinandan Shankarnath (21), Prem Aippa Satyam (20), Manikant Bassappa (22), Chegumin Aiappa (18) and Chitra Manshiya (50).

Forest officials also doubt that the accused are hiding their actual identity.

Meanwhile, first class judicial magistrate in Danta Geeta Aahir on Wednesday granted seven days' remand of the accused to police for further questioning.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-02/rajkot/31537370_1_tiger-skin-ambaji-temple-body-parts

Water shortage pushing leopards into ‘man’s territory’

Published: Saturday, May 5, 2012, 9:45 IST

All eyes in the Nashik forest department are on the man-versus-beast conflict playing out in the district. The two recent attacks by leopards in the village of Shivare, near Niphad(about 35km from Nashik), just 25 days apart, have not come as a surprise to many.

G Saiprakash, chief conservator of forests, Nashik division, clarifies that leopards have been on the prowl in and around Nashik for quite some time now. “The Nashik gazetteer notes the presence of leopards in the region. So, it (report of sightings) is not a new or a recent finding. At times, their population rises and at times, it drops.”

Explaining the reason behind leopards abandoning their natural habitat and encroaching upon ‘man’s territory,’ Vijay Hinge, district forest officer (planning), says the Western Ghats — where Nashik is located — are surrounded by dams and water bodies. The ample supply of water in the 4km-stretch around canals and rivers fed by the dams gives rise to natural vegetation. At Nashik, the Godavari river has helped in the growth of sugarcane and orchid fields. Since they can find easy prey like foxes, birds, rabbits and frogs in sugarcane fields, leopards make them their home. But in times of water shortage and when sugarcane has been harvested — as is the case now — leopards have no option but to venture out of their new habitat in search of food and water.

Leopard sightings in residential areas have been on the rise in recent years. From 2004 to March 2012, Nashik residents have had at least 10 confrontations with leopards. Sightings and attacks in sugarcane fields or at the borders of the jungles have been more frequent.

“Since 2003, 40-45 leopards have been trapped in Nashik and released into the wild after microchip were inserted into their tails to keep track of them,” says Saiprakash.

He rubbishes the rumour flying thick and fast at Shivare that the leopards infesting the area are the ones that were earlier caught and set free into the wild. “The chances of that are very low, as areas in jungles where the leopards were released are very far away from Niphad. Shivare falls under the sugarcane belt. Leopards must have shifted to the sugarcane area sometime ago and must have formed a habitat there. The leopards which have been sighted in the village are well-fed, proving that they must have easy access to prey found in the sugarcane fields.”

Although the Nashik forest department has had many an encounter with leopards, it has been found wanting in measures to capture them. To date, there has been only one person, forest range officer Sunil Wadekar, who is equipped to tranquilise them with darts and to insert microchip into them.

But all that is set to change. The forest department will soon start a training programme for forest guards to deal with such conflicts.

“The government has also sanctioned new equipment, and we will get the newly designed kit soon,” says Saiprakash.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_water-shortage-pushing-leopards-into-mans-territory_1684644