Ahmedabad: Project Lion, imagined with the aim of preserving asiatic lions and preventing the risk of their extinction, will not have large cats that are translocated anywhere outside the country.
The RS 1.300 Crore Lion project recommends establishing eight satellite habitats for the king of forest separate from the gear protection in the original Saurashtra itself.
This project has received initial approval from the Ministry of Competence for Forests and the Environment and has been sent to the ultimate nod of the Union Cabinet, the top sources said.
Satellite habitat for lions has been proposed in the Umath virdi in Bhavnagar, Gir, Girnar, Mentiyah, Jesor-Hipawadi, Babra Virdi, Hingolgadh, Beach belt from Krabula to Jafrabad and extend to Mahuva, said the senior state forest officials.
Ironically, the lion version is currently shaken in very contrast to the draft of the lion project prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India (Wii).
‘Gujarat has refused to move lions to the ancient Palpur’the Wii has recommended shifting asiatic lions outside Saurashtra to Succuaries in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and North Gujarat.
The design of the Lion project prepared by the Wii has recommended a shift of several lions to seven protection places namely Madhav National Park, Sagar Gandhi Wildlife Asylum, and Ancient Palpur in Madhya Pradesh; Sitami Margasatwa Sitamata, Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve and Kumbalgarh Wildlife Reserve in Rajasthan and Jessore-Balaram Wildlife Ambaji in Baneskantha, Gujarat.
This proposal, however, was rejected by the Ministry of Forest and the Union environment.
“Gujarat hates to translocate lions outside the country.
This is the main reason behind the rejection of the Wii proposal that recommends moving the small population of lions into half a dozen protection in neighboring countries and one in Gujarat,” said a Wii member and lion.
“The postcessivity of the country for the lion is not healthy because it moves large cats proposed to protect the lion population so as not removed by the deadly virus outbreak in the future,” said the member.
It is necessary to mention that Gujarat has transferred the lion to the ancient Palpur Sanctuary as ordered by the Supreme Court in 2010 too.
In the 2015 Lion census had calculated 523 lions in the state which grew to 674 according to new official estimates in June 2020.
In 2018, 29 lions surrendered to the Canine Distemper (CDV) plague (CDV) in gear protection and neighboring areas.