New Delhi: Alarmed over the sudden rise in deaths of Asiatic lions in their last habitat, the Centre on Monday announced the constitution of a panel for spot appraisal of their recurring mortality at the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat.
Announcing the decision, a government official said the committee will also appraise the protection strategy apart from studying the causes of mortality of lions during the last three years.
The panel will also study other aspects like resource-dependency of local people in Gir and the steps taken to ease man-animal interface conflicts.
The committee has been asked to recommend measures to improve the situation taking into consideration that the Gir forests are the "only habitat of the highly-endangered" big cats.
The panel will comprise regional deputy directors (Wildlife) Meeta Banerjee and Santosh Tiwari and it will submit its report within a month. The panel has been set up by the National Tiger Conservation Authority under the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The official said the panel has also been told to recommend steps to "foster co-existence" and to tackle "managerial constraints" in the area.
The decision to set up the committee comes in the wake of two recent poaching incidents when the carcasses of six lions with their teeth and claws removed were found in the sanctuary.
There have also been reports that two lion cubs were chased into a well by a jeep, causing them to drown. Reports also indicated at the involvement of Siriska poaching cartel in the Gir killings.
(PTI Inputs)
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