Heard of – ‘ Poonam
Avlokan ? ’. .. .. according to media
reports, this is an exercise carried out
monthly and in-house every full moon. On this day, all the officers and field
staff members assess the number of lions for 24 hours across various areas
within their respective jurisdictions. The exercise this time in the state of
Gujarat involved around 10 districts
where lions have been spotted over the years by 13 forest divisions.
Lions are majestic
! Lions have been admired throughout
history for as symbols of courage and strength. These iconic animals have
powerful bodies—in the cat family, they’re second in size only to tigers—and
roars that can be heard from five miles away. An adult lion’s coat is
yellow-gold, and juveniles have some light spots that disappear with age. Only
male lions typically boast manes, the impressive fringe of long hair that
encircles their heads.
Experts have long
recognized two subspecies of lion, Panthera leo leo (the African lion) and
Panthera leo persica (the Asiatic lion). However, recent studies suggest that
lions from West and Central Africa are more closely related to Asian lions than
they are to lions from the eastern and southern parts of Africa, according to
the Cat Specialist Group.
The Asiatic lion’s current
range is restricted to the Gir National Park and environs in the Indian state
of Gujarat. Historically, it inhabited much of Western Asia and the Middle East
up to northern India. On the IUCN Red List, it is listed under its former
scientific name Panthera leo persica as Endangered because of its small
population size and area of occupancy. The
first scientific description of the Asiatic lion was published in 1826 by the
Austrian zoologist Johann N. Meyer who named it Felis leo persicus. Though it lived and was seen in Saudi Arabia,
Turkey, Iran, Mesopotamia, and from east
of the Indus River to Bengal and Narmada River in Central India, in the last
century it is more restricted to the Gir Forest National Park and surrounding
areas. This lion population has steadily
increased since 2010. The lion is one of
five pantherine cats inhabiting India, along with the Bengal tiger (P. tigris
tigris), Indian leopard (P. pardus fusca), snow leopard (P. uncia) and clouded
leopard (Neofelis nebulosa).
Gir National Park
and Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Sasan Gir, is a forest and wildlife
sanctuary near Talala Gir in Gujarat, India. It is located 43 km (27 mi)
north-east of Somnath, 65 km (40 mi) south-east of Junagadh and 60 km (37 mi)
south-west of Amreli. It was established in 1965, with a total area of 1,412
km2 (545 sq mi), of which 258 km2 (100 sq mi) is fully protected as national
park and 1,153 km2 (445 sq mi) as wildlife sanctuary. It is part of the
Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
During our visit to this park in Dec 2019, could not spot a single lion
though.
The 14th Asiatic
Lion Census 2015 was conducted in May 2015 and the lion population was 523.
The good news of Poonam Avalokan is - Asiatic lions in Gujarat are alive
and roaring. The recently concluded ‘poonam avalokan’ or full-moon night
observation which replaced Lion Census 2020 due to Covid pandemic in Gujarat
has revealed a 29% rise in their population, top sources said. Sources in the
know of the counting exercise said observation undertaken on June 5-6 by forest
department shows the state is now home to 674 lions, a rise of 151 lions from
the count of 523 lions in the census conducted in May, 2015. The official data
of the counting exercise is expected to be declared soon.
The distribution
range of lions has also expanded to 30,000 sq km, rise of 36% as compared to
22,000 sq km in 2015. Officials said lion population has doubled compared to
2001 while its footprints have expanded by 400%. “Lions have recorded a healthy growth in
population due to effective conservation and management efforts by the state
government with support from the Centre,” said a top Govt official. He
added that the forest department had successfully curbed the canine distemper
virus (CDV) outbreak in 2018.
PM Shri Narendra Modi had himself intervened to
bring a large number of vaccines from the United States for treatment of CDV.
Unlike Africa where 90% of the population was wiped off by the outbreak,
Gujarat’s loss was restricted to 36 lion deaths due to CDV, said sources. Since
1968, when 177 lions were counted, the figures have steadily grown. Wildlife
experts have pointed out in the past that the state has a robust growth in lion
population in Gujarat with many even speculating that their numbers have
informally crossed 1,000 mark. Sources said the state now has a healthy' female
to male ratio of 1.64.
In Gujarat Lions
are healthy and roaring !
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
12.6.2020.
Pics from the tweet
of PM Modiji
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