Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project
Encyclopedia
The Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project is an effort to save the Asiatic lion
from extinction
in the wild. The last wild population in the Gir Forest region of the Indian state of Gujarat is threatened by epidemics, natural disasters and anthropogenic factors. The project aims to establish a second independent population of Asiatic Lions at the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary
in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh
.
Wildlife Institute of India researchers confirmed that the Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary is the most promising location to re-establish a free ranging population of the Asiatic lions and certified it ready to receive its first batch of translocated lions from Gir Wildlife Sanctuary where they are highly overpopulated. There are large scale deaths in the population annually because of ever increasing competition between the human and animal overcrowding. Asiatic lion prides require large territories but there is limited space at Gir wildlife sanctuary, which is boxed in on all sides by heavy human habitation.
Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary was selected as the reintroduction
site for critically endangered
Asiatic lion because it is in the former range of the lions before it was hunted into extinction in about 1873. It was selected following stringent international criteria and internationally accepted requirements & guidelines developed by IUCN/SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group and IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group which are followed before any reintroduction attempt anywhere in the world.
Twenty four villages of the Sahariya tribe, which had lived in the remote core area set aside for the reintroduction of the Asiatic lions in Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, were moved out of the Sanctuary to prepare it for receiving a lion population. They were rehabilitated to a new location on the edge of the Kuno sanctuary by incurring an expense equal to millions of dollars under a Central Government of India sponsored scheme. The plan included expenses on infrastructure development, so that they can have access to basic amenities like roads, schools and a hospital.
Samrakshan Trust, an NGO, has been working for better rehabilitation of villagers who agreed to move out of the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary.
The resettled villages were allocated housing and agricultural land at Village Agraa outside the sanctuary. The stated purpose of this move was to create a safe home and an inviolate space for the translocated prides of critically endangered Indian lions. However, major gaps remained in the implementation of these measures
The economic impact of their displacement from Kuno sanctuary has been very adverse for the villagers, according to independent research, making this a controversial case of species preservation via dislocation of human populations living inside Protected Areas.
The plan is to reintroduce a pride or two of wild, free-ranging Asiatic Lions from Gir Forest in the neighboring Indian state of Gujarat to start with. Even though recent studies have shown that Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary
is ready to receive its first pride of lions from Gir, controversy continues to shroud the project as the state government of Gujarat, from where the Lions are to come from, is reluctant to let go of them as it considers Asiatic Lions a state property and wants to keep its monopoly over the tourism revenue generated by the species which is extinct everywhere else in the world (i.e. over its entire original range in South West Asia
( The Middle East and Near East) including adjoining parts of Europe
(The Balkans and Greece) where it once was found in good numbers). Hence Gujarat sees the lions as a "tourist attraction
" and a source of direct and indirect tourism
-related revenue
.
Proponents of the plan hope that the central government of India and the state governments of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh can soon reach some consensus on relocating at least two or three lion prides from Gir Forest to Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, thus securing the long-term survival of the species and produce, eventually, a more genetically-diverse population.
Scientists from India have since reported that the low genetic variability may have been a feature of the original population, and not a result of inbreeding. They also show that the variability in immunotypes is close to that of the tiger population and that there are no spermatazoal abnormalities in the current population of lions.
Recent information from the Central Zoo Authority of India
(CZA) reports that "the Asiatic lions and Indian tigers are not as inbred as previously reported by S.J. O' Brien and do not suffer from inbreeding depression".
Asiatic Lion
The Asiatic lion also known as the Indian lion, Persian lion and Eurasian Lion is a subspecies of lion. The only place in the wild where the lion is found is in the Gir Forest of Gujarat, India...
from extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
in the wild. The last wild population in the Gir Forest region of the Indian state of Gujarat is threatened by epidemics, natural disasters and anthropogenic factors. The project aims to establish a second independent population of Asiatic Lions at the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary
Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary
Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary or Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the Sheopur district of north western Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India. It is about 120 kilometres from Gwalior....
in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
.
Wildlife Institute of India researchers confirmed that the Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary is the most promising location to re-establish a free ranging population of the Asiatic lions and certified it ready to receive its first batch of translocated lions from Gir Wildlife Sanctuary where they are highly overpopulated. There are large scale deaths in the population annually because of ever increasing competition between the human and animal overcrowding. Asiatic lion prides require large territories but there is limited space at Gir wildlife sanctuary, which is boxed in on all sides by heavy human habitation.
Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary was selected as the reintroduction
Reintroduction
Reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild in zones formerly inhabited by said species but where it has disappeared from for a number of reasons, from captivity or relocated from other areas where the species still survives in...
site for critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
Asiatic lion because it is in the former range of the lions before it was hunted into extinction in about 1873. It was selected following stringent international criteria and internationally accepted requirements & guidelines developed by IUCN/SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group and IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group which are followed before any reintroduction attempt anywhere in the world.
Twenty four villages of the Sahariya tribe, which had lived in the remote core area set aside for the reintroduction of the Asiatic lions in Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, were moved out of the Sanctuary to prepare it for receiving a lion population. They were rehabilitated to a new location on the edge of the Kuno sanctuary by incurring an expense equal to millions of dollars under a Central Government of India sponsored scheme. The plan included expenses on infrastructure development, so that they can have access to basic amenities like roads, schools and a hospital.
Samrakshan Trust, an NGO, has been working for better rehabilitation of villagers who agreed to move out of the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary.
The resettled villages were allocated housing and agricultural land at Village Agraa outside the sanctuary. The stated purpose of this move was to create a safe home and an inviolate space for the translocated prides of critically endangered Indian lions. However, major gaps remained in the implementation of these measures
The economic impact of their displacement from Kuno sanctuary has been very adverse for the villagers, according to independent research, making this a controversial case of species preservation via dislocation of human populations living inside Protected Areas.
Establishing the wildlife sanctuary
Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary
Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary or Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the Sheopur district of north western Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India. It is about 120 kilometres from Gwalior....
is ready to receive its first pride of lions from Gir, controversy continues to shroud the project as the state government of Gujarat, from where the Lions are to come from, is reluctant to let go of them as it considers Asiatic Lions a state property and wants to keep its monopoly over the tourism revenue generated by the species which is extinct everywhere else in the world (i.e. over its entire original range in South West Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
( The Middle East and Near East) including adjoining parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(The Balkans and Greece) where it once was found in good numbers). Hence Gujarat sees the lions as a "tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
" and a source of direct and indirect tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
-related revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
.
Proponents of the plan hope that the central government of India and the state governments of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh can soon reach some consensus on relocating at least two or three lion prides from Gir Forest to Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, thus securing the long-term survival of the species and produce, eventually, a more genetically-diverse population.
Inbreeding
The wild population of more than 300 Asiatic Lions has been said to be derived from just 13 individuals, and thus was widely thought to be highly inbred. However, this low figure, quoted from 1910, may have been publicised to discourage lion hunting; census data from the time indicates the population was probably closer to 100.Scientists from India have since reported that the low genetic variability may have been a feature of the original population, and not a result of inbreeding. They also show that the variability in immunotypes is close to that of the tiger population and that there are no spermatazoal abnormalities in the current population of lions.
Recent information from the Central Zoo Authority of India
Central Zoo Authority of India
The Central Zoo Authority of India is the body of the government of India responsible for oversight of zoos. It is an affiliate member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums ....
(CZA) reports that "the Asiatic lions and Indian tigers are not as inbred as previously reported by S.J. O' Brien and do not suffer from inbreeding depression".
See also
- ReintroductionReintroductionReintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild in zones formerly inhabited by said species but where it has disappeared from for a number of reasons, from captivity or relocated from other areas where the species still survives in...
- in-situ conservationIn-situ conservationIn-situ conservation is on-site conservation or the conservation of genetic resources in natural populations of plant or animal species, such as forest genetic resources in natural populations of tree species...
- List of Protected areas in India
- Wildlife conservationWildlife conservationWildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...
- World Conservation UnionWorld Conservation UnionThe International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is an international organization dedicated to finding "pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges." The organization publishes the IUCN Red List, compiling information from a network of...
(IUCN) - Ex-situ conservationEx-situ conservationEx-situ conservation means literally, "off-site conservation". It is the process of protecting an endangered species of plant or animal outside of its natural habitat; for example, by removing part of the population from a threatened habitat and placing it in a new location, which may be a wild...
- ExtinctionExtinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
- National Emblem of India
External links
- “Asiatic Lion Information Centre” (and also referred to its "NEWS pages" for controversy over Gujarat’s reluctance in Reintroduction of Asiatic Lions outside its state's borders to Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India)
- Information on Asiatic Lion & Gir Forest at the website of Asiatic Lion Protection Society (ALPS)
- AAj Tak Video News Repot in Hindi available on Youtube: Gir lions in palpur kuno century report rajesh badal.mp4 by Rajesh Badal uploaded on Feb 14, 2011