Sunday, April 4, 2010

Lion census to cover 10,000 sq km

Ahmedabad: The lion census to begin later this month, will be the first since the formation of the state to cover the entire coastal belt. The counting would be spread over 8,000-10,000 square km area. This census would be covering Bhavnagar, Amreli, Porbandar and Jungadh districts. Officials said that there was a possibility that they may go up to a village in Rajkot district.


The forest department officials said that they in 2006 by Faiyaz Khudsar, a trustee with the Biodiversity Conservation Trust of India, scheduled to be heard on May 5. There is a fear that if the census showed a good increase in the number of lions then the SC might direct Gujarat to give some lions to MP citing reasons of conservation.

The officials say that unlike earlier years, the last five years were the most eventful with even corporate houses from the state pitching in to save the lion. The government had also allocated Rs 40 crore for the same.

A task force was also formed by the state government for the conservation of the lions. The force has also come out with its recommendation, including radio collaring the lions and starting a gene pool. were worried about the outcome of a petition seeking relocation of wild lions filed

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