|
|
the-south-asian.com March 2004 |
||||
|
March
2004 Wildlife Music Dance Environment Art Books
Books Between
Heaven and Hell
|
|
||||
|
FINDING A NEW HOME FOR THE ASIATIC LION by Sharad Soni
The Gir Protected Area in Gujarat has, over the years, seen the existence of wildlife jeopardised by increasing population. The worst hit among the wildlife is the majestic Asiatic lion, found only in this region and nowhere else in the world. Efforts are now on to provide an alternate home for this true blue-blooded king of the jungle. It's a tale oft retold. The king of the jungle falls prey to man's greed. Indiscriminate destruction of wildlife habitat, shrinkage of forest area and overhunting for sport in the past have posed the threat of extinction to a number of wild animals, specially the fast disappearing Asiatic lion [Panthera leopersica]. The Asiatic lion's population itself is small. According to a recent survey there are just 304 of them in the wild. Now their very survival and identity is at a stake. As little as 200 years ago the Asiatic lion roamed across a territory that spread from south-eastern Europe, across south-western Asia and across northern India. Since then the continual expansion of the human population across the lion's range has contributed to its extinction in all but one small region of India - the Gir National Park and Sanctuary in Gujarat. The Asiatic lion walked into the bowl-shaped Saurashtra region some 50,000 to l, 500, 000 years ago. Way back in 1910 efforts were made to conserve the Asiatic lion, as the Nawab of Junagadh banned its hunting within his province. After India gained independence in 1947 that ban was upheld and in the 1960s and 1970s the home territory of the last surviving Asiatic lions, in the Gir forest, was designated a national park and a sanctuary. Now, 50 years later, efforts are being made to save this lion. A two-pronged strategy has been mounted. The first priority is to stop its in-breeding and rear a pure species. The second and more important one is to provide it an alternate home. Of the four intensively and systematically surveyed protected areas, the habitat of Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary of Madhya Pradesh was found to be the best second home for the Asiatic Lion. The reasons for this decision are not far to seek. The Gir Protected Area has, over the years, seen a population influx jeopardize the existence of its wildlife. The lions have to share their sanctuary with two types of human population: the pastoral Maldharis who graze their livestock within the boundaries of the protected area and the forest settlement villages, which were present before the area was declared a sanctuary. Between them, these add up to approximately 7,500 people and about 14,000 cattle. Until recently, the lions of Gir were noted for their general indifference towards humans. However, the number of attacks on people has risen sharply since the drought of 1987-1988. Not surprisingly, there has been a corresponding increase in the hostility of villagers towards the lion. Whilst the lion population within Gir has increased since its designation as a national park, the area of the park has not been extended since 1978 and it is highly unlikely that it will ever be because of human habitation. This has given rise to a situation where lions roam outside the park onto the surrounding farms and prey on livestock, which increases lion-human hostility. Although designated a sanctuary, three major roads run through Gir. There is also a railway line, which carries at least six trains through the park each day. Both cause disturbance to the lion habitat and also represent a fire risk within the park. The three trans-park highways are currently closed to traffic at night but the Gujarat Forest Department is under considerable public and political pressure to reopen them. Four large permanent temples within the Gir attract upwards of 80,000 pilgrims each year. This human influx causes problems ranging from litter dumping to firewood extraction, further diminishing habitat of the lion. With the entire wild population of Asiatic lions confined to just one area, that population is highly vulnerable to any kind of biological, climactic or man-made catastrophe. A major disaster within the Gir could wipe out the entire subspecies at a stroke. Likewise a disease outbreak could decimate the lion population. Realising the necessity of providing the Asiatic lion with an alternate home, some vital measures have now been initiated. The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, has started exploring various possible second homes. One of them is the Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary of Madhya Pradesh. To eliminate undesirable biotic interference from the human and cattle population of 19 existing villages situated within the limits of the Kuno-Palpur sanctuary, steps are being taken to relocate these villages voluntarily to a new friendly environment. For the long term viability of the project, the sympathy and active co-operation of the inhabitants of the affected villages is necessary. Keeping this in mind the site for their relocation has been chosen in consultation with people of these villages. All basic facilities will be provided for these villagers on new sites, and the appropriate infrastructure for their economic and social development will be created. The entire area will be linked with various ongoing government welfare schemes and an intensive eco-development programme will be implemented in villages situated on the periphery of this protected area. Measures are also being taken to correct a little known biological imbalance concerning the Asiatic lion. While on the one hand environmentalists fear that extensive inbreeding may render the captive population infertile, on the other hand they are worried that hybridisation---especially mating of other lion species with pure Asiatic lion would certainly make the pure breed disappear. Spurred by these fears, the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZAI) has chalked out a scheme - planned and controlled, co-ordinated captive breeding of the Asiatic Lion - to breed pure specimens of the species in 10 zoos across the country. Breeding of lions in zoos has so far been very haphazard. Records of a lion's pedigree have not been kept and not much is known about the lineage of the lions in captivity. Many are hybrids but then there is also the need to preserve some pure specimens so that the Asiatic Lion survives in the country. For example in Gir sanctuary there has been so much breeding that the younger generations are turning infertile. The enormity of the problem becomes obvious if an epidemic breaks out in Gir area, the only home to the Asiatic lion. The entire population of Asiatic lions of pure breed will be wiped out. The consequences will be all the more disastrous if the zoos do not have animals of pure breed. In the Indian zoos, a lot of hybridisation has taken place between different breeds of the species, mainly the Asiatic and African. According to estimates there are around 200 hybrid lions and 85 pure Asiatic Lions ( 58 females and 27 males). But what led to so much of hybridisation? It has been seen that zoos never maintained any records or genealogical charts of where the animals came from till The Wildlife (Protection) Act came into existence in 1972. But hybridisation did not serve the conservation purpose as pure Asiatic Lions in captivity dwindled though the hybrid-lion population has gone up. Thus the bigger enemy of the Asiatic Lion is in-breeding, which leads to a reduced genetic variation. And lesser the genetic variations, greater the risk of catching infection. This also leads to much greater chance of infant mortality. A group of scientists, who conducted a study on genetic variation among Asiatic lions and Bengal tigers, say that animals, which are highly in-bred, ultimately become extinct. Environmentalists strongly feel that the gene pool of the Asiatic lions should not be polluted. But fast depleting forest cover in Gir has split the population in groups, forcing them to in-breed. A previous attempt to establish a second population in the Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Uttar Pradesh appeared to be succeeding, as the population grew from three to 11 animals, but then the lions disappeared, presumably shot or poisoned. Environmentalists are fervently hoping that the new experiment succeeds. The current population within the Gir can easily sustain removal of sufficient adult animals to start a second population. Which explains why the project to re-locate a part of the species assumes such proportions. After all, if the majestic Asiatic Lion disappears, it will be the end of one of the most handsome royal species of the world whose forest kingdom once spread from Syria, through most of Iran and Iraq, to northern and central India! ***** |
|||||
| Copyright © 2000 - 2004 [the-south-asian.com]. Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. | |||||
| Home | |||||
