Environmental Ethics April 12, Lions of the Gir Forest

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1 Environmental Ethics April 12, 2016 Lions of the Gir Forest 1

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3 Gujarat State in Western India The Asiatic lion: Panthera leo persica Morphological (Appearance) Differences Longitudinal fold of skin along the abdomen Shorter mane on males Slightly smaller than African lions Behavioral/Social Differences Less aggressive towards humans (usually) Pride is usually smaller (two females per pride) Asiatic males less social African Lion Asiatic Lion The Asiatic lion: Panthera leo persica Genetic Differences The genetic difference between the Asiatic and the African lion is minimal, less than the difference between human ethnic groups. Branched from the African lion within the last 200,000 years. Closely related genetically to the Barbary lion? Prey: Chital, Sambal deer, cattle # of Animals ~20 animals ~100 animals animals animals animals Asiatic Lion 3

4 The Gir Preserve In 1900, the Gir forest was the hunting preserve of the Nawab of Junagadh and covered 10,000 km 2 Today, a core region of 300 square kilometers A buffer zone of 1200 square kilometers All human activity is legally banned from the core area. In the buffer zone, Maldhari graze cattle. Stable lion population in core, with minimal conflict and contact. Excess population forced to outlying areas with conflict and human contact guaranteed. Asiatic lion future threatened by: Resource mining Encroachment pressures by humans Poaching (Asian markets) and human hazards (open wells, wired fences, poisons) Genetic bottleneck from low population 3/26/ Officials suspect poisoning of lion found dead in Khamba 3/23/ Two maneater lions captured in Gujarat, sent to Sasan Gir 3/23/2016 Lioness run over near Gir sanctuary A forest official on condition on anonymity said that primary observation of the body suggested that the animal could have been poisoned as the eyes of the animal had rolled upwards. The body of the lion has been sent to Jasadhar range for postmortem. Two lions, who had killed a person near Ambariya village in Amreli district last week, have been captured and sent to a separate enclosure at Sasan Gir, a forest department official said today. A lioness was run over by a speeding vehicle.... Last year, two lions were killed on the railway tracks near Rajula. There are more than 174 lions in Amreli district outside the Gir national park. The State government had revealed that 310 lions including cubs had died in the Gir forest in the last five years. According to the State s Forest and Environment Minister, 25 of them died an unnatural death. According to the census conducted in 2015, the total number of lions in the State was 523, a jump from 411 in the 2010 census. 3/ State of Gujarat argues it should not have to send lions to Madhya Pradesh to establish a 2 nd population. Argument is 1) no extinction threat for 100 years; and 2) translocation may harm tigers in Madhya Pradesh. 3/10/ Lions & 135 Leopards Die in Previous 2 Years 3/6/15 Gujarat State Shuts Down Illegal Tourist Establishments 2/4/15 Lions & leopards kill 12 cattle per day in Junagadh 63 lions in and 61 in Deaths not due to poaching, but natural causes or accidents. Buying and selling land is regulated, as is the operation of tourist establishments. Unlicensed hotels and restaurants have sprung up and people have moved into the core sanctuary. In last two years, 8161 cattle have been killed with 68% kill by lions. Most are outside the sanctuary. 3/19/2016 Lion kills labourer in Gujarat s Amreli district 3/15/2016 Gir to have 350 more watering holes 3/10/ Asiatic lions died in Gir in 5 years 2/28/2016 Gujarat offers sick lions for Bhopal zoo... a man was allegedly mauled by an Asiatic lion in Ambardi village of Amreli district. The incident took place some three kilometres away from the proposed Ambardi lion safari park near Dhari town. Forest officers suspect that the man might have been killed during an illegal lion show. The department proposes to add 350 watering holes in the area, which includes artificial ponds created in the fields of farmers. After this, the Gir landscape, which is spread over 22,000 sq km, will have no less than 800 artificial watering holes where lions can quench their thirst during summer.... only 25 of the Asiatic lions had died unnaturally; 10 of them perishing in unprecedented heavy floods. Other causes included falling in open wells, electrocution caused by electrified barbed wire, fencing by farmers, and accidents on the railway tracks through the sanctuary. Madhya Pradesh government's enthusiasm over Gujarat government's offer to give lions for its safari at Van Vihar, Bhopal, fizzled out when it realised that the gift was only a pair of sick lions. 3/11/10 Probabilities of extinction 3/11/10 72 Asiatic lions dead in last two years 3/11/10 Gujarat State Refuses to Share Lions In a new study, an international team of scientists created models to estimate extinction probability for 25 large mammal species.... The species with the highest probable rates of extinction were... rare species... such as the Asiatic lions of Gir Forest (96 percent).... [t]he western Indian state of Gujarat, home of the majestic Asiatic lions, has admitted that 72 lions had died in the Gir sanctuary during the last two years mainly due to natural causes. Conservationists have long complained that Gir forests was overcrowded and some lions need to be shifted to a sanctuary in neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh. But the Gujarat government has turned down the offer of the federal government to swap lions for tigers. The state's plea is that it was not going to share its biggest tourist attraction Conservation Issues If Panthera leo persica were in the United States, under what laws would it be protected? Most biologists who argued for the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone did so from an ecocentric perspective. Is it the same perspective that argues for the preservation of the Asiatic lion? Does it make a difference that Yellowstone is 9000 square kilometers while the Gir Forest is only 1200 square kilometers?? Park rangers have a variety of tasks in the Gir sanctuary. Do you think they should fill watering holes during times of drought to protect lions and their prey? shoot poachers who encroach on either the lion or leopard population? Is the Asiatic lion in the wild in any real sense, or is it merely confined in a natural prison or an extended zoo? 4

5 The People of the Gir Forest The People of the Gir Forest Historically, the region of the Gir has been a preserve for royalty The forest was settled in the 20 th century by formerly nomadic peoples called the Maldhari ( cattle-guardians ) Maldhari within the sanctuary, with 15,000-20,000 cattle. 160,000 people within 6 miles of sanctuary border. Relocation and resettlement began in Reparations paid for cattle lost to lion predation. Occasional attacks on humans from lions and leopards, with lion attacks linked to drought and famine. The People of the Gir Forest Historically, the region of the Gir has been a preserve for royalty The forest was settled in the 20 th century by formerly nomadic peoples called the Maldhari ( cattle-guardians ) Maldhari within the sanctuary, with 15,000-20,000 cattle. 160,000 people within 6 miles of sanctuary border. Relocation and resettlement began in Reparations paid for cattle lost to lion predation. Occasional attacks on humans from lions and leopards, with lion attacks linked to drought and famine. Lion vs. Human Issues What sort of claim do the Maldhari have to use of the Gir sanctuary? Would it make a difference if the Maldhari had been settled there for centuries rather than less than 100 years? When it comes to a scarce resource like land, who gets preference: a human being or a lion? Does rare or endangered status change the calculus? If a lion attacks a human, what should be done? If a human attacks a lion, what should be done? If lion attacks upon humans typically happen at the end of drought cycles, does this change the dynamic of whether park rangers should fill watering holes during times of drought? The Muskrat Conundrum Study: What happens to a muskrat when the population of mink (a predator) increases? Rise in mink population left core muskrat population unaffected, but left marginal muskrat population at increased risk. Thesis: the ill effects of population pressures and predation will tend to fall on the those least able to fend for themselves. The Muskrat Conundrum Quammen s point: What does this mean for animal preserves in the wild, especially of animals that are predacious on humans? Can you think of other situations (environmental or otherwise) in which the basic pattern of the muskrat conundrum holds true? 5