India needs a new wildlife governance system

Reviving the Asiatic Lion and its Habitats of India
by Rohan Misra

For millennia, the Lion has been a symbol of power and divinity in India. This majestic beast was part of the central-north Indian landscape before almost going extinct in the 19^th century. The Indian Lion had been decimated by hunting and habitat destruction until 1879, when the prince of Junagadh saved the last remaining Indian Lions found on his private hunting grounds in Gujarat. The Indian royal together with a British Officer enforced protection of the remaining Indian Lions of which only around 18 were left in the forests of Gir. Essentially this conservation effort saved the last of the remaining Asiatic Lion species that once roamed from Eastern Europe through the Middle East and into the Indian subcontinent. Although the prince’s son continued the Lion conservation efforts, historical records suggest that hunting and habitat destruction of these big cats continued before and after India’s independence.

In 1965 the government of India notified Gir National Park covering an area of 1,412 sq. km with a core area of 258 sq. km. Since then, Gujarat and the local Maldhari communities have successfully managed and co-existed with the big cat increasing its population significantly over the years. Unfortunately for more than a decade now, Gujarat has become an impediment to the long term survival of the Asiatic Lion by reducing its protected area and refusing to trans-locate a dozen lions to another state and violating the Supreme Court order of 2013.

Today, there are around 700 Lions in Gujarat in a protected area that can support only 300. This is clearly evident from the videos that show Lions roaming villages, highways and even within city limits. Scientists had already foreseen this problem back in 1993 when the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) published studies supporting the need to relocate some lions and expand their existing territory. Key findings of the studies were as follows: 

1.      The lion population was close to exceeding the carrying capacity of Gir  National Park(appx. 270 lions). Failure to expand the protected area would result in man-animal conflict and lion mortality

2.      A high level of inbreeding was causing genetic weaknesses amongst Lion prides

3.      A single isolated population of Lions can be wiped out making it extinct*

* The Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania, Africa was cited by the IUCN as an example where more than a thousand lions died within weeks from canine distemper virus and tick borne diseases. Studies revealed that a high level of inbreeding was responsible for the deaths. Scientists feared something similar could happen in India wiping out last of the Asiatic Lion species.

To address this challenge, the central government approved the WII proposal to trans-locate a dozen lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh after assessing seven potential suitable sites for the Indian Lion. Palpur-Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh was chosen as the most suitable habitat with an area of over 700 sq.km and sufficient prey and freshwater reserves.  By 1997 Madhya Pradesh initiated the relocation of 24 villages with 1500 families from inside Kuno and conducted 18 feasibility studies in cooperation with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN).  In 2005 Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary was declared ready to receive a pride of lions from Gujarat after a prey base assessment was completed.

It’s been 14 years since, and Gujarat has refused to part with a dozen Lions despite a 2013 Supreme Court order. However, all the blame does not fall on Gujarat as the political leaders of Madhya Pradesh didn’t put up much of an opposition in support of the Indian Lion. Even the petition filed in the Supreme Court was done by a non-government organization (Biodiversity Conservation Trust of India) in 2005. Soon after the Congress party won the recent state elections in Madhya Pradesh (2018); it notified Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary as a National Park. This was the last pending step to be taken for the translocation of the Gir Lions, something Shivraj Singh Chauhan failed to do as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh even though he was in power for a long time (2005 – 2018). Clearly our wildlife and environment needs a more autonomous operating system from the clutches of politics.

The matter continues to stall as the Modi government refuses to intervene and acknowledge the Lion as a national animal. This is ironic considering the Lion is one of the foremost symbols in Indian history, religion, politics and culture. On the Ashoka Chakra, the Lion is in parliament and almost every government building. It is on every currency note and visiting card of all government officials. The Lion was the national animal of India (1952-1972) and  recently the Modi government made it the 'Make in India' symbol. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna declares the Lion as one of his prominent forms and as Narasimha, half  Man - Lion is one of the Avatars of Lord Vishnu. In the beginning of the Mahabharatha, King Bharat is documented playing with Lion cubs in the forests of Naimish-Aranya. Meticulous hunting and expedition records kept by Indian Kings, Mughals and the British prove that Lions existed in central and north India. The Lion is as sacred as the cow in India and its about time the BJP realise and do something about that. 

During Mr. Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister (2002-2014) the Lion population increased by 38% as compared to 12%  in the previous 65 years. Tourism to Gir increased significantly and there was reason to be proud of the Lion in the ‘Pride of Gujarat’ tourism campaign. All due credit to Gujarat, but why did Mr. Modi refuse to share just a dozen lions with another state to ensure the long term survival of the Asiatic Lion? Or why didn’t he increase the protected area for the Lions in Gujarat during his tenure?  Once Mr. Modi became the Prime Minister of India, it was expected that he would acknowledge the Lion as a national animal and intervene for the translocation to take place.

This has not happened so far and in fact, somewhat the opposite has occurred. In the run up to the 2017 Gujarat elections, the center authorized the dilution of Gir National Park’s Eco-Sensitive Zone from a range of 8km – 18k m down to 4km – 500 meters. The center has removed the Lion on the National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-2031), from the list of animals that require alternative homes. The only positive is that the center has sanctioned Rs. 100 crore towards Lion conservation in Gujarat. But this only further encourages state ownership of a national animal that should be the sovereign right of the country. 

Setting lions free in Kuno National Park by now would have brought in much needed investment and employment in the Chambal region once famous for its armed bandits and now devoid of economic growth. By now, thousands of families relocated from inside Kuno Sanctuary could have benefited from tourism, film and conservation investments. The lost opportunity can be understood from Machli – the famous Tigress that lived across the Chambal river in Ranthambore national park. TOFT (Tour Operators for Tigers) estimated that Machli and her cubs generated approximately Rs. 700 crores for Rajasthan and the Indian economy during her lifetime as television made her a global icon and the golden triangle circuit made Ranthambore an international tourist destination.

Kuno Lion Reserve is 5 hours by road from theTaj Mahal and just a few hours to tourist destinations like Ranthambore, Gwalior and Orchha. There is no doubt the Lion will drive tourism to the Chambal region, create jobs for locals and sensitize local communities towards forest and wildlife conservation. The Lion has a global appeal and channels like National Geographic and Discovery will invest in showing the world that India is capable of improving the conservation status of the Asiatic Lion. Wildlife Conservation organizations and funds can be channelized into the Chambal region because like the Tiger, the Lion is an umbrella species that will benefit other endangered animals such as the Indian Wolf, Hyena, Great Indian Bustard and the One Horned Rhinoceros that inhabit grasslands, scrub and open woodlands. In the case of Palpur-Kuno the Gharial crocodile and critically endangered Blind Gangetic dolphin that inhabit the Chambal river will get their due attention.

There is a dire need for the center to establish Project Lion, like it has done with Project Tiger and Project Elephant. This will give legislative and financial backing to the Indian Lion and acknowledge it as a national animal and not the property of any one state. Lions need more space than Tigers as they live in prides and require large open landscapes. The center should develop multiple Lion Reserves creating a Lion corridor from Gujarat through Rajasthan and into Madhya Pradesh. This move will not only enhance the livelihoods of local communities through tourism and conservation investments, but restore a landscape that is currently undergoing desertification. This could very well have long term benefits on Climate Change, Fresh Water reserves and Wildlife Conservation. When the center established Project Tiger in 1972, there were 9 Tiger Reserves and today there are 50. Unfortunately, in the last 72 years India has not expanded the Lion's territory as we still have only one national park for this big cat. 

Are we ready to give back the land that once belonged to the Indian Lion? The government cannot be held solely responsible for this question. There is little to no coverage from the Indian media, national and international NGO’s have made little to no concerted effort in improving the status of the Asiatic Lion and lastly, millions of Hindus and citizens of India have not raised their voice for an animal that is equated with God in their scriptures, culture and history. 

"Of Daityas I am Prahlada, Of constraints I am Time, Of Beasts I am the Lion, Of Birds I am Garuda" (Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 10, Verse 30)