Rajkot: All efforts by the Ministry of Forestry to distance Lions from the Rajkot district seemed futile.
Nearly 10 days in three lions arrested from Gondal Taluka villages, Pugmark from pride was found in the villages of Memalk and Pithadia from Jetpur.
Over the past few days, the lion was seen in the villages of Gondal and Kukavav Taluka who fell in the Amreli district.
Three lions were arrested on the night of December 15 and released to Sanctuary.
The group moves in Jetpur and Gondal villages and people ask the department to capture lions to avoid human-human conflicts.
“In the past three years, different groups of lions gray into these areas, but this is the first time we have noticed that the same group came for the second time,” said a senior forest official.
Priyvrat Gadhvi, member of the Wildlife Council said, “This is a challenging task for the forestry department to criticize the local community and create new habitats, especially when the lion population develops.” A senior forest official said, “As a temporary solution, it is better to rehabilitate lions to avoid conflict but it is not a decent long-term strategy.
When the lion will often come, it has become a corridor for them and we need to prepare habitat for them.” The first Lions crossed Gondal Highway in 2007 but to this day the Forestry Department was not ready to complete the lion here.
There is a good meadow area and the Ministry of Forestry need to build water points and work on increased herbivorous population as a prey base.
Bhushan Pandya, another member of the State Welfare Council said, “This is the nature of the lion to find habitats and new adults will continue to explore new areas.
The corridor needs to be protected.” K Ramesh, the head of the wildlife conservator, Junagadh said, “We usually move lions only when we get a number of public complaints.
Farmers complain that workers from tribal areas are afraid to go to agriculture.
Our approach is to move the lion when there is no other choice.
In Long term, we must convince people about the presence of lions but it will take time.
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