Shocking news | Death of 23 Asiatic lions at Gir national park गीर के जंगलमें 23 एशियाई बब्बर शेरों की मौत
The Gujarat government on Tuesday said canine distemper may have been responsible for the death of four lions even as two more deaths were reported in Gir, taking the death toll to 23 since September 12.
“While advance reports from various laboratories are awaited, in four cases, canine distemper virus is suspected to be the cause,’’ said forest minister Ganpat Vasava. Canine distemper is a viral disease that impacts a large number of wild animals including cats and dogs. The two lions that died on Tuesday were shifted from Semerdi in Dalkhania range in the eastern part of Gir to Jasapar rescue centre after 11 lions from the same area died between September 12 and 19.
The forest department said at the time of announcing the 11 deaths that infighting and infection were responsible for the deaths. Between September 20 and 30, another 10 lions died while receiving treatment.
The minister said one of the lions might have caught the virus and infected others in the same area. “We have isolated all lions from Semerdi area. A survey in all the others parts of Gir, including the national park and Gir West, has been done and they (lions) are clean and safe,’’ said the chief conservator of forest, Jungadh wildlife division Dushyant Vasavada.
According to forest department officials, all the lions lost were in Gir East, a neglected region in this last adobe of Asiatic Lions. The other two divisions of Gir are Gir West and the National Park; the latter two are the preferred destination of tourists and national and international big cat experts.
Chief minister Vijay Rupani termed the deaths “unfortunate” and said action would be taken if negligence on part of the department was found. “With the help of experts the treatment of lions is being done,” he said.
The Dalkhania range, where the deaths have happened, is the most open space of the lion habitat with the least congestion. Of the 523 lions in Gir, only 80 are in the Dalkhania range.
Habitat:
Asiatic lions were once distributed upto the state of West Bengal in east and Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, in central India. At present Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the only abode of the Asiatic lion. The last surviving population of the Asiatic lions is a compact tract of dry deciduous forest and open grassy scrublands in southwestern part of Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
Conservation:
The lions face the usual threats of poaching and habitat fragmentation. Three major roads and a railway track pass through the Gir Protected Area (PA). Also, there are three big temples inside the PA that attract large number of pilgrims, particularly during certain times of the year. There has been an increase in lion population, and more than 200 lions stay outside the PA. Though the conflict is not high now, with changing lifestyles and values these may increase in the future. There are also cases of lions dying by falling into the unguarded wells around the Gir PA. The Asiatic lion faces threat of genetic inbreeding arising from a single population in one place
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