204 lions have died in Gir in the last two years: Gujarat govt | Ahmedabad News



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GANDHINAGAR: More than 200 lions have died in the Gir Forest Region over the past two years, the Gujarat government said in the legislature on Friday.

Only 27 of these deaths were attributable to "unnatural" causes, such as being struck by a train or falling into a well, he said.

Minister of Forests Ganpat Vasava responded to a question from Congressman Bhagabhai Barad in a written response that 110 lions and 94 children died in 2017 and 2018.

Of the 110 adult lions, 43 died in 2017 and 67 in 2018. Thirty-eight cubs died in 2017 and 56 in 2018, according to the answer.

Of the 204 deaths, 27 (21 lions and six cubs) were "attributable to causes", such as falling into a well or being run over by a train, the minister said.

Vasava also said that 331 leopards, including 75 cubs, died in the Gujarat forests in the past two years, adding that the state government was taking various measures to prevent deaths from causes unnatural.

Some of these preventative measures include building parapets around wells, fencing railroad tracks, building circuit breakers on roads through shrines and conducting continuous patrols, the response said.

To a question asked by Congressional MP, Pratap Dudhat, about the viral infection among lions last year, Vasava said that 34 lions have died during the past year in because of diseases, including infection with the distemper virus.

Babesia, streptococcal bacteria and Gram-negative bacilli infections are also responsible for some of these deaths, the minister said.

The government allocated 21.96 crores for the conservation of lions to Gir in 2017 and 27.89 crores in 2018, while the contribution of the government of the Union was 1.9 crore and 1.06 crore for the last two years, he said.

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