Times Of India Ahmedabad Edition
A14-year-old boy and a Neel Gai (Blue bull) in villages of Amreli district chased away lions, bravely. A bull saved its companion from the clutches of a lioness in a farm near Zaradiyo river by goring the big cat in its abdomen. Scared of the bull’s horns the lioness retraced its steps and ran.
In another incident two brothers saved their cattle near pilukiya river, when three lions attacked. While the elder brother pulled out the calf from the lions mouth, the younger one hit the lion with a thorny shrub stick and an axe handle.
10-01-2008
Lioness, cub die in Sakkarbagh zoo
Times Of India Ahmedabad Edition
Junagadh : The last 24 hours witnessed deaths of an old lioness and a cub died at the city’s zoo in Sakkarbagh. “Rukshamani, 17-years-old lioness, died of old age, whereas 16-month-old cub passed away after four months of suffering from nervine disorder,” said district forest officer V J Rana, who headed the team of three vet doctors that conducted post-mortem.
“We tried to inject Rukshamani with saline to breathe life into her, but in vain,” he added. “The cub was picked up by the forest officials 16 months ago, as his mother had abandoned him in Babara range of Gir wildlife sanctuary,” said Rana. “He was found in an injured condition with a damaged leg. The vets’ team conducted an operation on the cub and inserted a steel rod in its fractured leg. But incordination of the cub’s muscles had deteriorated its body conditions in the last three months, causing its death,”added Rana.
16-01-2008
Finally, Gir villagers get crematorium
Times Of India Ahmedabad Edition
Sasan-Gir(Junagadh) : High drama ensued for eight hours, when nearly 1,300 mourners from Sasan Gir carried the body of Ravji Makwana,70, to the range forest office here, on Tuesday.
The villagers had sought 1,000 metre of land for a crematorium near the village, which went unheeded. Not having a proper burial or a crematorium spot, they usually performed last month, they gave an ultimatum, that they would bury or cremate their next dead in the forest office premises itself.
So, when an elder man Ravji died on Tuesday morning, they promptly took the funeral procession to the office located in the village.
Officials tried to prevent them, but the villagers did not budge and stood their ground. Range forest officer B K Parmar finally conceded and spoke to his superiors. The villagers had also spoken to conservator of forests, Ramesh Katara. The intervention of Jasubhai Barad, MP and his discussion with chief conservator of forests Pradip Khanna, stalled the stalemate. It was resolved that a team of revenue and forest officials would soon meet and sort out the issue and allot a suitable site for the crematorim.
Unofficial sources, however, said that this unseemly row was the outcome of a long-standing tussle between revenue and forest departments. Sasan, being forest area, the forest department wanted to lord it over and deny any say to the revenue department.
Irked by this snub, some revenue officials prompted the villagers to prick the forest department. Thus a subtle departmental row erupted into a funereal saga in this quiet solitude of Sasan-Gir.
21-1-2008
Carcass of leopard found in Gir area
Indian Express By Sibte Husain Bukhari
Junagadh, January 19 The carcass of a female leopard was found lying on a castor oilseed farm on the outskirts of Sultanpur village under the Simar region of Jashadhar Range in the Gir (East) forest division.
The incident came to light on Friday, when farm owner Bhana Jadav found the carcass lying in his farm. He informed the forest officials.
According to Deputy Conservator of Forest (Gir East) J S Solanki, all the claws and organs of the animal were found intact. Solanki has ruled out any “foul play” into the incident.
A panel of two veterinary doctors perform a post mortem on the leopard. “According to the post-mortem report, illness was stated as the reason behind the death of the animal,” Solanki said.
Meanwhile, a group of lions, including two lionesses and a pair of cubs, were found roaming on the outskirts of Prempara village in revenue area. The group stormed into an agricultural farm of one Babubhai Rudani and killed one there.
Forest officials rushed to the spot for assessment and said the farmer will be paid compensation as per rule.
Incidentally, the incident took place on the outskirts of Prempara village, where five lions were electrocuted on October 19 last year. Prempara village is 3 km away from Dhari-Gir East forest headquarters.
