Jairam Ramesh presses for second home for Gir lions

Union Forest and Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh Thursday again pressed for a second home for the Asiatic lion to obviate fears of an epidemic wiping out this carnivore.

Ramesh, who was on a day-long visit to Sasan Gir, the lone abode of the Asiatic lion in the world, said that the talk of a second home for the Asiatic lion has been going on for a long time but no decision has been possible so far in the matter.

He said many experts were of the opinion that the danger of the Asiatic lion falling prey to an epidemic was real and, therefore, a second home for the lion was necessary.

‘In the long-term interest of the species, a second home will have to be found sooner or later. You know more than 1,000 lions died due to diseases in Tanzania. Here the lions have an inbred population and genetic diversity of the lion is limited,’ he told mediapersons after a visit to the sanctuary.

Despite the central government’s plea for parting with some lions to Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat has been averse to the idea and has been stoutly resisting it. The centre even offered tigers for a sanctuary in the state in exchange for some lions but to no avail. The union minister sighted eight lions in Sasan Gir.