AHMEDABAD: While Madhya Pradesh is pitching Palpur Kuno as second home for the Asiatic lions, attempts to settle lions in the forest near this sanctuary had failed miserably in the past.

The Scindias of Gwalior advocated for the forests of Vindhya Pradesh where they had tried to introduce African lions. Sudipta Mitra describes the episode in his book 'Gir Forest and the Saga of the Asiatic Lion'. He writes, "Lord Curzon, while visiting Gwalior to shoot tigers in 1904, encouraged the Maharaja to rear African lions in his territory and as a good gesture, Curzon wrote a reference letter, which helped him a lot in getting the cubs."

Ahmedabad: A lioness staring into the lens with a stately gaze. This photograph on the Madhya Pradesh tourism department’s website to sell the Kuno Palpur Sanctuary has upset officials in Gujarat — the only home of the Asiatic lion in the world. MP tourism has started selling the Kuno Palpur as an alternative site for the wild cats even as the two neighbouring states fight a legal battle in the Supreme Court over shifting lions from the Gir sanctuary. While MP is seeking lions, Gujart is holding on to them, not ready to share the ‘Khusboo Gujarat Ki’ mascot with anyone.

AHMEDABAD: The fight to save Gujarat's USP, the Asiatic Lion, has begun in earnest. The Supreme Court's order staying the reintroduction of cheetah in Kuno Palpur has not only dealt a blow to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), but has got the Gujarat forest department officers on their toes to save its USP.

The apex court had recently stayed the Rs 300 crore cheetah reintroduction project and sought to know if saving cheetah or lion was its priority.

AHMEDABAD: A lioness staring into the lens with a stately gaze. This one photograph on the Madhya Pradesh (MP) Tourism department's website to sell the Kuno Palpur Sanctuary has upset government officials in Gujarat - the only home of the Asiatic lion in the world at present.

MP Tourism has started selling the Kuno Palpur as an alternative site for the wild cats even as the two neighbouring states fight a legal battle in the Supreme Court over shifting some lions from the Gir sanctuary.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the Cheetah Reintroduction Programme by which the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had proposed to import the African large-sized feline to India.

A forest bench comprising justices K.S. Radhakrishan and C.K. Prasad restrained the government from going ahead with the Rs. 300 crore project in the wake of questions being raised that a “totally misconceived” venture was pushed without consulting that National Board for Wildlife (NBW) which is a statutory body for the enforcement of the wild life law.

AHMEDABAD: There are more than 1,700 tigers in the country today. In contrast, there are just 411 Asiatic Lions, all of them in Gujarat. And yet the proposed Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill of the Union government maintains a deathly silence on lion preservation in the country.

The draft of the bill, uploaded on the Union forest and environment ministry's website for comments, does not mention the pride of Gujarat even once while there are elaborate provisions for tiger protection. This has left many wondering if this is plain oversight, or there are other reasons for the ministry hearing the tiger's roar and turning a deaf ear to the lion's.

MAHUVA: Have poachers become active near Gir National Park again? Missing claws of a lion that died a year ago and a cub that has been missing for nearly 50 days indicate that all is not well in the lion's abode.

A 10-month-old lion cub in this range has been missing since March 5 and the forest department has no clue about its disappearance. K S Randhawa, deputy conservator of forests, Bhavnagar, denied that a cub has been missing but senior forest officials confirmed to TOI that the cub has indeed been traceless.

Tells SC State Has All Expertise, Infrastructure & Environment

New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh on Monday pitched in with a plea in the Supreme Court for translocation of Asiatic lions from Gujarat to its Kuno Palpur sanctuary, insisting it has the entire wherewithal to ensure harmonious environment to the threatened species. State counsel Vibha Datta Makhija told a special forest bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and C K Prasad that Madhya Pradesh had “all the necessary infrastructure,

Madhya Pradesh on Monday told the Supreme Court that it has “all the necessary infrastructure, expertise and environment for translocating lions” from Gujarat’s Gir to its Kuno Palpur sanctuary. A Forest Bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and C K Prasad is hearing a petition on whether the Asiatic lions of Gir should be shifted to Kuno to avoid extinction of the endangered species in case of a calamity or disease.

Madhya Pradesh rejected the argument that it would not be a safe place for the lions as it has failed to preserve its tiger population in its Panna reserve.