Lions in the well..!! Literally!!!

[Guest guest]

Wells????? In a National Park???? Can anyone tell me why were the wells built in

the first place in the park instead of artificial reservoirs or water-holes that

could be re-filled from time to time???? Or did they expect lions and other

animals to draw out water through a bucket??? Might as well get the hand-pumps

installed there!!!!

Moreover, would it be feasible to shift the lions to MP….keeping in mind the

loss at Panna! But then again poaching and man-animal conflict is rampant

everywhere.

There is no mechanism for preventing inbreeding or to ensure outcrossing. In

lions, prides are often followed by related males in bachelor groups. When the

dominant male is killed or driven off by one of these young brutes, a father may

be replaced with his son. Most lionesses are related to one another. If there is

more than one dominant male, the group of alpha males are usually related. Two

lines then are being " line bred " . In fact, predators are known for low genetic

variance, along with most of the top portion of the tropic levels of an

ecosystem. Additionally, the alpha males of two neighboring prides can

potentially be from the same litter.

 

Warm Regards

Radhika Singh

 

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Health--Science/Earth/Flora--Fauna/Second-hom\

e-for-Girs-big-cats-remains-mired-/articleshow/4688195.cms

 

Second home for Gir's big cats remains mired

22 Jun 2009, 1657 hrs IST, IANS

 

 

NEW DELHI: India's Asiatic lions are the most vulnerable of all the big cats as

they live in a single area in Gujarat, making them prone to

 

diseases as well as other threats, and yet calls for creating a second home by

the scientific community have been repeatedly ignored, say experts.

 

The sprawling Gir National Park in western India is home to some 350 Asiatic

lions, the last refuge for these cats. In the past, the lions had roamed in

almost the entire Central Asia.

 

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), a leading scientific organisation,

recommended the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh for setting up a

second home for the Gir lions.

 

But the Gujarat government rejected the proposal, saying it lacks scientific

backing and security.

 

Experts believe Kuno in central India is part of the lion's historical home

range.

 

Gujarat says if Madhya Pradesh cannot protect their tigers, how can they protect

the lions.

 

Supreme Court lawyer Ritwick Dutta, who has taken up the case filed by the

Biodiversity Conservation Trust of India, a Delhi-based NGO, in the apex court

for transfer of the lions, said: " If the issue is not resolved, there would be a

huge economic loss. "

 

" The 24 villages that were inside the Kuno reserve have been resettled elsewhere

to make room for the Gir lions and an estimated Rs.15 crore has been spent on

the project, " said Dutta.

 

However, with the recent admission by the Madhya Pradesh government that there

are no tigers left in the Panna reserve, it might just assure the Gujarat

government of its case.

 

But Faiyaz Khudsar, a wildlife biologist who heads the NGO and has worked in

Kuno for the lion relocation programme, says, " Wild animals confined to a single

area can spell death knell to their long-term survival, and this has been proved

by science. "

 

" Some years ago in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, at least 25 percent of

the African lion population there was wiped out due to the canine distemper

disease, (a fatal viral disease) and the rest of the lions fell sick. This shows

how a single epidemic can wipe out the entire lion population in the park, " said

Khudsar.

 

The Serengeti Park, a Unesco World Heritage site, is spread across more than

14,000 sq km, whereas Gir has an area of just over 1,000 sq km. Despite the

sprawling size of Serengeti, the African lions fell to the onslaught of the

viral disease, he maintains.

 

Besides, inbreeding over a period of time can render a population confined to a

single area genetically weak, as they don't get the chance to mate with stronger

partners from other geographical areas, making them more prone to diseases, he

said.

 

Gir lions are also threatened by poaching, man-animal conflict and accidents.

Many lions have died recently after falling into the wells created to provide

water for flora and fauna of the park.

 

" If Gujarat says that there is a security issue in Kuno, then why are the lions

straying out of Gir. Some of the lions are even reaching Daman and Diu, " said

Khudsar.

 

" The only solution left is to create different populations in different areas.

The geographical barriers might help the lions evolve stronger genes in the near

future that would ensure their long-term survival, " he explains.

 

Gujarat said its lion population has stabilised and shown healthy growth from

just 177 in 1968 to about 350 at present.

 

In 1956, attempts to introduce Gir lions in Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary in

Uttar Pradesh " failed due to scientific shortcomings " and there is no scientific

basis to show that the present initiative would be a success, Gujarat said in an

affidavit to the Supreme Court recently.

 

" This project shall be pioneering and hopefully trail blazing, " it noted. But

Khudsar claims science has made tremendous progress since the first attempt in

the 1950s.

 

" Now we have the technology such as 'radio-collaring' to monitor the lions.

Besides, there are many other advances animal science has made. "

 

For now, the Supreme Court has referred the case to the Wildlife Board of India

for its opinion. The next hearing in the case is on Aug 11.