[Asiatic_Lions] ASIATIC LION RELOCATION ISSUE IN SUPREME COURT IN INDIA

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----- Forwarded Message ----

Atul Singh Nischal <atulsinghnischal

himanshu.kaushik; faiyazwild;

faiyaz; rajp339; ritwick1;

wildlifenews; lifedelhi

Cc: sallyrwalker

Friday, November 16, 2007 10:11:19 AM

Re: ASIATIC LION RELOCATION ISSUE IN SUPREME COURT IN

INDIA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Re: ASIATIC LION RELOCATION ISSUE IN SUPREME COURT

IN INDIA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear all concerned and Conservationist: Faiyaz A. Khudsar of Biodiversity

Conservation Trust of

India (BCTI), Environmental Lawyer: Raj

Panjwani, Environmental Lawyer: Ritwick Dutta, Legal Initiative for Forest &

Environment (LIFE), Reporter: Himanshu Kaushik of

Ahmedabad Office at Times of India (Local Gujarat Edition), Government and

Non-Government Organisations, naturelovers, naturalists, scientists and all

members

of media

 

 

 

 

 

I am here forwarding a request by Journalist: Mr. Himanshu

Kaushik of local Ahmedabad Office in Gujarat of Times of India Newspaper,

Gujarat Edition. He and I am sure many Journalists and media persons from all

over India and even abroad will like to request all concerned for an eCopy or

more information on the “Asiatic Lion Relocation

Petition” which is in Supreme Court of India now and

is about translocating a handful of our Asiatic lions of Gir Wildlife Sanctuary

in the INDIAN state of Gujarat to Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighboring

INDIAN state of Madhya Pradesh which has been their former home since times

immemorial till finally they were hunted into local extinction there during

British Colonial rule in 1873.

 

 

 

 

 

As per the latest message received (informing

all of us about this historical and landmark petition) via the post made

by Legal Initiative for Forest & Environment (LIFE)’s Member Priyabrata

Satapathy on the prestigious Natural History of South Asia general discussion

and research mailing list (original message / post attached at the end of this

mail) this important petition has been filed by the Biodiversity Conservation

Trust of India (BCTI) through its trustee Faiyaz Khudsar represented by

Environmental Lawyers:

Raj Panjwani and Ritwick Dutta and maybe also in association with Legal

Initiative for Forest & Environment (LIFE).

 

 

 

 

 

I request all concerned to kindly

contact as many journalists and media persons and make a National

and International “Press Release”

regarding this important matter and this landmark petition as this is very

important for Asiatic Lion Conservation as these lions require vast hunting

territories of upto 150 to 300 to 400 square kilometers per pride of 3 or 4

lions which they fight with other lions to keep for themselves depending on

prey density and large amount of natural prey they need to consume thus it is

extremely important now that some of the severely overpopulated lions of our

Gir Forest should definitely be accommodated in Kuno wildlife Sanctuary in

neighbouring Indian state of Madhya Pradesh as soon as possible to save them

from annually dieing off in large numbers due to various reasons related to

severe overpopulation of lions in Gir forest and also I recommend that

arrangements

should be made for accommodating this most of the dieing annual increase in lion

population of Gir in specially constructed safari parks all over the various

states of India where they should be fed live prey away from the eyes of

Tourists in the nights so that they can retain and pass on hunting skills to

their cubs. Also excess lions from yearly breeding should be accommodated in

Zoos

with special breeding programs with detailed

studbooks in India and abroad like the EEP in Europe and

SSP in America. It is well known that it has been pointed out by several

wildlife experts nationally and internationally that several serious threats

like natural and man-made disasters including epidemics like canine distemper

that have already killed off large numbers of lions is Africa leave the Asiatic

Lions exposed to complete extinction in the near future if continued to be held

hostage in one single population in the whole world as is the present case in

Gir Forest and surrounding region of the Indian state of Gujatat.

 

 

 

 

 

The policy of Gujarat state

government of wanting to keep all wild free ranging Asiatic Lions held HOSTAGE

in Gujarat so that it can maintain its illegal monopoly on them and on direct

and indirect tourism revenue generated by these last of the world’s Asiatic

lions since the last few decades has led to dieing off of most of the annual

increase in the Asiatic Lion population since independence. Gujarat

government instead of conserving the world’s last Asiatic lion habitat has

infact destroyed more then 75% of the original 6,000 square kilometer core

Asiatic

lion habitat that it received after Indian independence. Indian state

government of Gujarat has converted more then 75% of original Asiatic Lion Gir

Forest habitat by converting from designated forest land with

standing forest and grasslands into clear cut revenue lands that has been

converted into villages and farmlands today.

 

 

 

 

 

Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in MP has been chosen as a

reintroduction site for critically endangered Asiatic lion after a very very

careful country wide search and confirmed as an ideal location by scientists

and reasearchers of Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Kuno WLS has been chosen

for Asiatic lions after following stringent international rules and regulations

following which is like virtual international law now before any translocation

/ reintroduction can be attempted anywhere worldwide, these rules and

regulations are laid out by IUCN/SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group and

IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group. These very rules recognize

that Asiatic lions need vast hunting territories upto 300 to 400 square

kilometers per pride of 3 or 4 lions depending on prey densities and hence Kuno

wildlife sanctuary situated in a 3,700 square kilometer forest block is ideal

for the excess lions from Gir forest in the longrun AND at the same time these

rules and international protocols clearly bring out the bogus nature of the

conservation plans of Gujarat Forest Department geared towards only maintaining

state monopoly of Gujarat on all wild Asiatic lions.

 

 

 

 

 

Gujarat forest department it seems under pressure from

greedy politicians wanting to keep overpopulated Asiatic lions of Gir forest

hostage within Gujarat has been trying to conserve the only remnant habitat of

about 100 square kilometers of new prey-less land at Jesar or 200 sq kms at

Barda hills etc. (which is infact better than doing nothing at all) but has been

falsely claiming that it will be good to provide a home for another 100 and 200

new lions respectively. This just goes to show that in 60 years of Indian

independence Gujarat’s forest department knows nothing about the ranging and

territory needs of wild free ranging Asiatic Lions or they continue to ignore

wild lion needs and the need to maintain a healthy lion population because of

constant political pressure to keep all lions hostage in Gujarat, this kind of

shameless attitude has led to killing off most of all the annual population

increase in these last lions of Asia since Indian independence due to lack of

prey and vast new additional habitat availability that these additional lions

needed every year and couldn’t find and had to die off for one reason or the

other related to overpopulation.

 

 

 

 

 

Also it is necessary to point out

here that looking after the critically endangered Asiatic lions and making

alternate home for them and ensuring their long term survival is India’s

obligation to the international community, obligation to

all other nations of the world and an obligation to United Nations (UN). If

India fails to meet its international obligation to protect critically

endangered Asiatic lions, their habitat and all of its other endangered

biodiversity in general then India can be sued in the international court of

law; the World Trade Organisation (WTO), major Trading blocks and rich nations

can be asked to impose Trade restrictions / fines / increased penalized duties

etc. on import and export trade with India. Not only will it cause fines worth

billions of dollars to India but India will suffer the most when its

international credibility

falls as a responsible nation.

 

 

 

 

 

All concerned are requested to

coordinate with each other and with members of media regarding Asiatic lion

conservation

matters and specifically regarding this important “Asiatic Lion Relocation

Petition”.

 

 

 

 

 

Kindly find introductions and

email addresses for getting in touch with concerned petitioners below.

 

 

 

 

 

I will also request all concerned

to forward a copy of this important petition and any press releases and news

articles etc. regarding this to me as well which I will post on our Asiatic

Lion Group.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you all and best wishes to

you to continue fighting for conservation of Asiatic lions and for making Kuno

Wildlife Sanctuary their home as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Atul Singh Nischal

 

atulsinghnischal

 

 

Life Member, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) (http://www.bnhs.org/)

Life Subscriber, World Wide Fund for Nature / WWF-India

(http://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/index.cfm)

 

 

ASIATIC LION GROUP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Conservationist: Faiyaz A. Khudsar, Biodiversity

Conservation Trust of India (BCTI): faiyazwild,

faiyaz

 

 

 

 

 

* Environmental Advocate / Lawyer: Raj Panjwani: rajp339

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Environmental Advocate / Lawyer: Ritwick

Dutta: ritwick1

 

 

 

 

 

* Legal Initiative for Forest & Environment (LIFE): wildlifenews;

lifedelhi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Based out of

Ahmedabad office, locally in Gujarat here

are some samples of Asiatic Lion articles by Times of India Reporter

Mr. Himanshu Kaushik, Ahmedabad, Times of India from the local Gujarati edition.

(Please see original Complete post on Asiatic Lion Group)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Himanshu Kaushik, Ahmedabad, Times

of India Newspaper (Local Gujarat Edition): himanshu.kaushik

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

----- Forwarded Message ----

 

Himanshu Kaushik <himanshu.kaushik

 

Atul Singh Nischal <atulsinghnischal

 

Thursday, November 15, 2007

12:22:23 PM

 

Re: Asiatic Lion relocation Issue in Supreme Court in India

 

 

Can u send

me the ecopy of ur petition pl

 

 

Himanshu

Kaushik

 

 

Times of India

 

 

Ahmedabad

 

 

9825025282

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original Complete Message Continues at:-

 

 

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