| Environment The Last of the Asiatic Lions
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We are all aware that the Gir National Park is home to the last of the Asiatic Lions. Together with crested serpent eagles, white-eyed buzzard, hawk eagles and sparrow hawks, Gir is a bird-watcher's delight. Herds of chital lend an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity to the forest as they graze the rich golden grasses of their jungle home. However, as is the case with most of our sanctuaries and national parks, Gir is in deep trouble. Exact figures are difficult to quote, but today there are about 300 lions left alive in Gir. These animals are sometimes poisoned by locals. Their claws are much sought after by poachers who sell them for fancy prices. Because of bad land management outside Gir there is virtually no fodder available for livestock, so outsiders send their cows and buffaloes into the forest. This leaves the jungle so disturbed that natural prey like sambar and chital are difficult for the lions to hunt. The problems are really quite severe and no one seems able to do very much to ease them. |
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 Our wildlife, sadly, is in the hands of bureaucrats and forest officers whose indoctrination by the World Bank is so complete that every Park and Sanctuary management plan now incorporates the Washington world-view. The victims of this frightful farce are the lion, the tiger, the elephant and the many forest communities that evolved in consonance with the wilderness. The prime reason for Gir's existence is to save the Asiatic lion. Every other priority - tourism, highways, mining, fodder, fuel wood etc., must be subservient to the survival of the species.
Courtesy: Sanctuary Magazine
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Editor: Romola Butalia (c) India Travelogue |
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It is a well known fact that the lions are fighting for survival with their backs to the wall. But if you look at what is taking place in the Gir National Park and Lion Sanctuary in Gujarat, the seriousness of the problems becomes even more acute. Yet, the state government virtually encourages encroachments and illegal mining in an effort to win cheap popularity for two-bit politicians. There is also a new proposal to legalise limestone mining within five km. of the sanctuary, a plan that will almost certainly destabilise Gir. Excessive tourism including a five star facility in the very heart of the forest further disturbs the ecology of the forest. And a major temple complex is attempting to grab a large parcel of land in the heart of the forest. For several years now we have been asking that the railway link running through the heart of Gir be shifted to an alignment outside the forest. The proposal to shift the line, however, keeps getting shifted from ministry to ministry. Meanwhile lions and other wildlife, continue to die on the tracks. Pressure on these fragile forests has caused lions to wander miles outside, often with tragic consequences. The forests surrounding nearby Girnar, for instance, now support around 15 lions, but they are fast losing their tree cover. Rather than protect the forests, the tourism department has proposed a new ropeway project to take people to a temple on the top of the Girnar hill.