Talk:Asiatic Lion

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[edit] An appeal to all Naturelovers & Wildlifers and specially to those from Iran & India to spread the awareness, love & respect for all species and help us protect the "Asiatic Cheetah" & "Asiatic Lion" from Extinction

The "Asiatic Cheetah" (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) Page has been originally created by ATUL SINGH NISCHAL - atulsinghnischal@yahoo.com, I am a Life-member of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS): http://www.bnhs.org/ and a Life-subscriber of WWF-India: http://www.wwfindia.org/.

I am an "Asiatic Cheetah" and "Asiatic Lion" fan originally from India, naturelovers & wildlifers in my country and in Iran love both these species and we used to have plenty of them till a few hundred years back in both India and Iran. Today all the "Asiatic Cheetah" are extinct all over Asia and also extinct in India now, just the last 50 to 60 are said to be remain in Iran.

The same fate befell the "Asiatic Lion" all over Europe and Asia they were exterminated by man. Iran also lost them eventually in 1942. From the handful that survived in India in 1900 in a single forest, a population of about 300 odd has been conserved and built up. It is felt now that all the Asiatic Lion are cramped together in a single Indian forest of Gir which is hopelessly overpopulated and Lions have started to spill out to unprotected adjoining areas coming in regular conflict with man with many of them being killed/poisened regularly. Since all the Asiatic Lions of the world are cramped together in the Gir region of the Indian State of Gujarat and face complete extinction because of an epidemic or natural calamity that may strike, the Government of India has made arrangements to re-introduce some to Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary in the neghbouring State of Madhya Pradesh in India. Even though the Asiatic Lion is on the official seal of India and all Indians are proud of them, unfortunately the State Government of Gujarat and some people in Gujarat feel that Asiatic Lion are state property and are opposing the re-introduction of some wild Lions to Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary in the neighboring State of Madhya Pradesh in India. For the time being it looks like that Gujarat wants to keep its monopoly on tourism revenue generated by the Asiatic Lions.

Naturelovers sincerely hope that both "Asiatic Cheetah" and "Asiatic Lion" can be pulled from the brink of extinction and eventually be re-introduced back to their original remaining habitats all over Asia. Maybe it may take a few centauries but presently Iran and India can co-operate on bringing the "Asiatic Cheetah" and "Asiatic Lion" back to their countries. Iran should help India in re-introducing the "Asiatic Cheetah", even though it may have to be through "Cloning" if needed, and India should help Iran to re-introduce the "Asiatic Lion" to their country.

Long live the "Asiatic Cheetah" and "Asiatic Lion" who had shared, shoulder to shoulder, much of the same habitat ranging from North Africa to India...........


Thanking you

Original author of article/page on "Asiatic Cheetah" on wikipedia

Atul Singh Nischal atulsinghnischal@yahoo.com; Life-member of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS): http://www.bnhs.org/; Life-subscriber of WWF-India: http://www.wwfindia.org/;

Please Note:

  • The article/page on "Asiatic Cheetah" on Wikipedia was originally written by me but has since been re-written to suite a general audience. You may still be able to pull up the detailed original version I wrote from the "History" button on top of "Asiatic Cheetah" page:

Detailed original Version I wrote (on History page): 00:50, 13 September 2006 Atulsnischal (Talk | contribs) http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Asiatic_Cheetah&oldid=75407443

  • It gives a more detailed account of the critically endangered “Asiatic Cheetah”, what is being done for its conservation and the importance of modern technologies like cloning in wildlife conservation today.

Atulsnischal 17:39, 15 September 2006 (UTC)


[edit] “The ASIATIC LION GROUP” on Yahoo!

  • “The ASIATIC LION GROUP” on Yahoo - Please DO join us!

Help us Save this "Critically Endangered" species, "The Asiatic Lions", from Extinction. Please join us in our efforts to raise the awareness, and spread the news, of CONSERVATION. Help Save the Asiatic Lions.

The Asiatic Lion Group:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Asiatic_Lions/

Group messages with lot of information on Asiatic Lions accessible to all

(Messages posted on the Group include Reference Material for this and Asiatic Lion related articles on Wikipedia):

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Asiatic_Lions/messages

LINKS ON - ASIATIC LION ( & Asiatic Cheetah):

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Asiatic_Lions/message/139


Atulsnischal 21:33, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Asiatic Lion LINKS & References

The section on Iranian lions, incorrectly cites 1940s for any sighting of the animal on the Iranian territories. I should disagree. As a young boy in 1966, i read an article in a local Iranian newspaper (while waiting to get a haircut at a barber shop), complete with several photos of hunting of an entire pride of lions in Iran, somewhere around Shiraz (I cannot remember where exactly). The proud hunter had documented the killing of female lion as he was attempting to steal her cubs (two or three in numbers--again, I do not remember for sure). The article was concluded by the magazine's editor remorselessly declaring that they believe these were the last native lions in Persia/Iran. As it has turned out, unfortunately they were correct. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Izady (talk • contribs) 06:11, 24 May 2008 (UTC)


  • "The Asiatic Lion Information Centre"

The home of the European Asiatic Lion Breeding Programme. The purpose of the Asiatic Lion Information Centre is to serve as a central point on the Internet for information about Asian lions. Here you will find historical information about the Asian lion, a species account, range maps, and information about the conservation programmes being undertaken to secure the survival of this species of big cat. http://www.asiatic-lion.org/credits.html;

Please remember to also visit the News pages (1997 onwards) http://www.asiatic-lion.org/index.html;


  • Gir & Asiatic Lion Protection Society (GALPS) (a group Wildlife enthusiasts) from Gujarat, India

This site is developed by Gir & Asiatic Lion Protection Society (GALPS) (a group Wildlife enthusiasts) purely with intention of spreading information of Asiatic Lion and Gir. This site is still under development. A whole new concept, new topics, new material, photographs, video clips, sound clips, News Articles etc. will be uploaded by October 2006. If you have any comments or content please write to us at info@asiaticlion.org. http://www.asiaticlion.org/


  • Blog on Latest News articles on Asiatic Lion and Gir by GALPS, Gir & Asiatic Lion Protection Society (GALPS):

Blog on Latest News articles on Asiatic Lion and Gir by GALPS, Gir & Asiatic Lion Protection Society (GALPS) (a group Wildlife enthusiasts), Blog created by Kishore Kotecha, Rajkot INDIA i.e. one of their founding memebers: http://asiatic-lion.blogspot.com/


  • "Asiatic Lion" Page From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) is a subspecies of lion. The last remnant of the Asiatic Lion, which in historical times ranged from Caucasus to Yemen and from Macedon to present-day India through Ancient Pakistan and Iran (Persia), lives in the Gir Forest National Park of western India. About 350 lions (August 2005) live in a 1,412 km² (558 square miles) sanctuary in the state of Gujarat. In 1907 there were only 13 lions left in the Gir, when the Nawab of Junagadh gave complete protection to them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiatic_Lion


  • Asiatic Lion Forum of "National Geographic" International

Forum relating to following Article: "Asia’s Last Lions: National Geographic. Extinction stalks the Asiatic lion, a regal subspecies now crowded into a single sanctuary in India’s Gir Forest". Aticle and Links: www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0106/feature3/index.html; Excellent multimedia presentation (Flash): www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0106/feature3/media2.html; Klum Photography: Asiatic Lions: www.klum.se/gallery/images.aspx?ID=2&OrderNr=1

http://mesa.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/cgi-bin/forum/forum.cgi?forum=asiatic_lions


  • Asiatic Lion Forum of "Times of India" Newspaper local Gujarat office.

Should some Gir lions be shifted out of Gujarat? What is the symbol that represents the pride of Gujarat? It has to be the majestic lion of Gir - the only natural home the Asiatic lion has in the world. It is not surprising therefore that the Gujarat government is fighting tooth and nail against a move by the Centre to shift some of the lions to a sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. Gujarat is not ready to give up its exclusivity over the animal and has instead suggested that if the lion needs another home outside the congested Gir, then it can be within Gujarat itself. Conservationists are united when it comes to the need to have an alternate home for the lion so that its gene pool can be protected and its population be encouraged to grow again in areas other than Gujarat where it once ruled the forests till it was edged out by the tigers and humans. While some such attempts in the past have failed, others say Gujarat's pride is not as important as preserving the lion. Should some Gir lions be shifted out of Gujarat? Robin David, TOI Ahmedabad (Gujarat) Bureau. (Atul's Note: To educate yourself on the issue please visit "The Asiatic Lion information Centre" The home of the European Asiatic Lion Breeding Programme and its News pages: http://www.asiatic-lion.org/index.html

http://o3.indiatimes.com/mytimes/archive/2006/06/21/835722.aspx


  • IRAN-ZOO Page on Asiatic Lion

Persian (Asiatic) Lion - Page, (Panthera Leo Persica), Shir (in Persian); Asiatic Lions have been extinct in Iran since 1942 http://iranzoo.tripod.com/lion/lion.html/


“The genetic information needed in the future to reproduce endangered animal species can be preserved in genebanks, which consist of cryogenic facilities used to store living sperm, eggs, or embryos. The Zoological Society of San Diego has established a "frozen zoo" to store such samples from more than 355 species, including mammals, reptiles, and birds.”

“…. However, when the extinction of a species is imminent, ex-situ conservation becomes the only option left to humanity. It is simply better to preserve a species in part than to let it die out completely.”


The Convention on Biological Diversity: http://www.biodiv.org/default.shtml


Atulsnischal 23:37, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] See also

Atulsnischal 07:24, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Indian Wildlife photos @ “INDIA NATURE WATCH” including Asiatic Lions

INDIA NATURE WATCH (INW) - A non-commercial website that focuses on sharing the joy that nature has on offer. We welcome all nature lovers to join us in sharing that joy. The INW website is intended to serve as an online resource for nature lovers of all skill levels from beginners to professionals. Our focus area is India. We hope the content generated here will help showcase the work of nature photographers in India to the world, as well as help initiate the uninitiated to the wonders of nature. Currently we have a "Image Gallery Section" where a member can showcase an image and a "Discussion Forum" where various topics can be discussed. While we continue to strive to improve features on INW, We take great pride in the professional, non-commercial environment we provide for all visitors. Please do peruse our "terms of use" (http://www.indianaturewatch.net/terms.php ).

(ATUL’s NOTE: Please note that not so long ago wild Asiatic Lions ranged over most of the “Indian sub-continent”, where they came in contact with and their paths regularly crisscrossed with most of our wildlife including Tigers. Unfortunately the last surviving 300 or so wild Asiatic Lions left today in the whole world are only found in the Gir forest area of Indian state of Gujarat where the Tiger has been hunted to extinction for quite some time now. In fact the Tiger is entirely missing from Gujatat’s forests where they may someday again be reintroduced as suitable habitat is said to exist. Meantime there are plans to re-introduce 2-3 prides of wild Asiatic Lions to Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighboring Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Asiatic Lions and the Asiatic Cheetah shared most of the same habitat in India and southwest Asia, but alas the Indian/Asiatic Cheetah is now extinct in India, the very last 50 or 60 fight their final extinction in nearby Iran. Iran had lost all its Asiatic Lions to senseless hunting by 1942 & their Tigers had met the same fate too.)

INDIA NATURE WATCH: http://www.indianaturewatch.net/index.php

Atulsnischal 23:30, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] From Spanish wikipedia

Hey folks--lots of info in the Spanish wikipedia...may be time to translate some of it over (of which I may do myself in the coming weeks... --Compcons 20:33, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

Hi Compcons, that would be great! I do not know Spanish, but do let me know if I can help somehow. Cheers! --ΜιĿːtalk 09:18, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Copied from Lions in Europe

The following was copied from Lions in Europe Main Author : User:Pmaas Main edit

Lions in the Caucasus

And also there was a population of the Asiatic Lion in the Caucasus mountains, which was the northernmost point of the lion range until they become extinct in the area. These lions become extinct from Armenia around the year 300 and from Azerbaijan and southweast Russia during the 10th century. In this area the lion coexisted with other Big Cats like the Caspian tiger (which survived in Caucasus until the 1920s), the Caucasian leopard and the Asiatic Cheetah, and they prey in Caucasus included the Caucasian Wisent, Caucasian Elk, aurochs, tarpan and others ungulates. It remained widespread elsewhere until the mid-1800s when the advent of firearms led to its extinction over large areas. (Guggisberg 1961) By the late 1800s the lion had disappeared from Turkey (Ustay 1990).[2]

Copied and modified by User:Altaileopard 11:45, 05 Okt 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Lions and Tigers

The article says that the Gir Forest is the last retreat of the asiatic lion. It then says that Lions and tigers rarely come into contact, but not in the Gir Region as it is to arid. In that case where do they come into contact if the lions don't live anywhere else?

I don't think they encounter tigers today, but it is likely they have done that in the pas when their range was much larger. The Gir forest is now becoming too small for the current population. Some lions occure also outside the park. News says: "The Guajrat Wildlife Department, which is strongly questioning the rationale of shifting some of Asiatic lions from the Gir forest in the State to Palpur sanctuary (Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary) in Madhya Pradesh, is expanding the habitat for the jungle kings" [1].Peter Maas 07:57, 20 October 2006 (UTC)
Also in the news: "Gujarat has been resisting the shifting of lions on grounds quite bizarre. Describing them once as "Gujarat's pride" - as if they were not so for the rest of the country - the State experts have now put forth the curious ground of the unsuitability of Kuno-Palpur (Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary) as it also hosts tigers. Suffering from convenient amnesia, they forget that the habitat of lions once extended practically to the entire country, where they co-existed with tigers [2]." Peter Maas 07:57, 20 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Start rating

I've rated this article as a start class article due to the lack of inline refs & the mismatch nature of the article. Pictures are flung all over the place & the mid section seems very listy. If you give it a good working, this can be maybe a B-class alter on... Spawn Man 04:27, 13 November 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Nilgai, Is it on Asiatic Lion's Menu / Diet ????

The nilgai is the largest ungulate in the lion's range. But it looks like asiatic lions never prey on Nilgai. Is Nilgai too much for the lion? It is for leopard. Asiatic lions, unlike African lions, hunt in solitary. --S-- —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 60.229.224.250 (talk) 09:51, 5 December 2006 (UTC).

How do you know that lions dont prey on nilgai?--Altaileopard 09:01, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I used to researched Asian lions' preys for quite a while, and Nilgai never showed up on the menu. --S--

Do you have sources (papers ect.) or is it just your feeling?--Altaileopard 09:29, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

"Nilgai" is definately on the "Diet list" of Asiatic Lions which do prey on them as well:

Nilgai was definately a regular menu item in the diet of Asiatic Lions, all over the Indian subcontinent. Asiatic Lions were found over a large area of the Indian subcontinent till about 150 to 300 years ago, but Asiatic Lions were killed off everywhere in Asia and in the Indian subcontinent, now they only survive in one and only small Gir Forest in Gujarat India. Their grassland habitat specially in India was converted over the last centuary and a half over to farmland almost completely due to phenominal growth in Indian subcontinent's population. Nilgai or literal Hindi meaning "Blue Cow" - English name Blue Bull looks very much like a Cow, as it is a well know fact that Hindus hold cows "Holy", so now what has happened is since Hindus hold all cows holy and never kill a cow, Nilgais are found in increasing numbers all over in India, its amazing how everything else has gone, the grass land habitat and most of its animals are now extinct locally in most of Indian subcontinent, Asiatic Cheetah is completely extinct in India (and all over Asia but the last 50-60 remain in Iran) for the same reason BUT the Nilgai is found everywhere in India. Its strange since nobody killed them out they today exixt even in small wild patches which have been encirled within mushrooming Indian cities (Also I have seen them in the Indian Capital of New Delhi) and ofcourse Nilgais is found all over India in farmers fields. They have become a major pest species, they destroy crops worth millions but villagers still refuse to kill them, they just keep scaring / chasing them away from field to field. Some Indian states like Punjab and Maharashtra have declared them a pest species locally and issue permits even today to those who want to hunt this specie as well as Wild Boars which have also reached pest proportions and destroy crops.

Now, as to why it seems as if Nilgai are not on "Asiatic Lion's" Diet, it can be easily explained, the "Asiatic Lion" today only survives in Gir Forest, though the Nilgais occur there there is much easier prey namely the "cattle" and domesticated "water buffalos" of local Maldhari a forest dwelling cattle based tribe.

Some References:

HISTORY (Asiatic Lion)

“Wildlife conservation programme for the Asiatic Lion was started by the forest Department from September 1965 with the declaration of 1265.01 sq. km area as sanctuary which was expanded up to 1412.1 sq. km till date. With implementation of wildlife management and Gir Development Scheme, population of lions increased gradually from 177 in 1968 to 359 in 2005. Similarly, herbivore population of major animals (Cheetal, Sambar, Nilgai, Wild boar, Four horned Antelope, Chinkara etc.) has also increased from abut 38221 in 1995 to 49965 in 2005.”

Continues…

Source: http://www.asiaticlion.org/asiatic-lion-history.htm

HUMAN ANIMAL CONFLICT (Asiatic Lion)

“Historical records show that lion in the Gir preyed mainly on the domestic livestock of Maldharis (Joslin 1973, Berwick 1974), which constituted nearly 75% of their diet. However the latest studies conducted by Dr. R. M. Naik, Ravi Chellam and A.J.T. Johnsingh (1993) have shown that 36% of the kills are still from domestic livestock. Therefore, the domestic livestock contribute significantly to the lion’s food in Gir forests. The reason for this may be the fact that the Maldhari “Nesses” are located along valleys in flat to gently undulating terrains where domestic livestock provide an easy kill compared to the wild herbivores which being swifter, may escape into the more rugged zones of the forest.”

Continues…

Source: http://www.asiaticlion.org/food-dependency.htm

OTHER MAMMALS in Gir Forest http://www.asiaticlion.org/other-animals-mammas.htm


Asiatic Lion Info included in African Lion Factsheet: DIET: “Gir lions feed mainly on chital deer - occasionally sambar, nilgai and domestic stock.”

Source: http://library.sandiegozoo.org/Fact%20Sheets/lion_african/lion_african.htm#diet http://library.sandiegozoo.org/Fact%20Sheets/lion_african/lion_african.htm

I am also copying this discussion on the Nilgai discussion page.


Atulsnischal 01:23, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] External links Asiatic Lion, Asiatic Cheetah, Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project, etc.

I noted that the articles you have been working on have far too many external links. There should be a minimal number of "important sites". If there are articles etc. relevant to the article then they can be referenced in the text as notes. A sea of external links is practically useless since the important ones are diluted. David D. (Talk) 21:13, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

Hi David the Extra "External Links" in the Wildlife articles I have been working on and the Extra External links you have been removing

Hi David

First of all let me thanks you for helping with the wildlife articles I have been working on

Asiatic Lion, Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project, etc.

I know you have been removing all the external links I had added in all these and other articles, but you see I am not an experienced writer on Wikipedia, all the external links that I added are actually what I read before writing of editing the article,

  • Hence they should have been included in the "References" section that I didnt make, and I didnt add a "Further Reading" section, wher all the links should have been added.

If you now see the inbreeding section in Asitic Lions, references have been correctly added as an inset within the article, like you were also suggesting, ..... you might want to see how that section was written after pressing edit, also see what appears after pressing edit on "Cited References", if done prperly the "Wikipedia software" automatically tabulates references under the "Cited References" heading, please see when you get time.

All external links will have to be added in "References" section and under "Further reding" sections which were missing, my mistake.... I have been not getting much time to comtribute on wikipedia.

Thanks again

Atulsnischal 06:25, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

Hi Atulsnischal, sounds like you are getting the right idea. I'll help out with formatting as I see these come up on my watchlist. David D. (Talk) 04:34, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] See also

Atulsnischal 12:57, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] References

Wikispecies has information related to:

Atulsnischal 12:57, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] References

Atulsnischal 12:57, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] External links

Atulsnischal 07:11, 11 February 2007 (UTC)

I Like Asiatic Lions!83.70.74.136 16:55, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "Singh" meaning Lion is a common name used by Indians

Singh is an ancient Indian vedic name meaning "Lion" (Asiatic Lion), dating back over 2000 years to ancient India. It was originally only used by Rajputs a Hindu Kshatriya or military caste in India. After the birth of the Khalsa brotherhood in 1699, the Sikhs also adopted the name "Singh" due to the wishes of Guru Gobind Singh. Along with millions of Hindu Rajputs today, it is also used by over 20 million Sikhs worldwide[1][2].

Atulsnischal 11:44, 22 August 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Comments removed from main articles and listed here

  • 1

"Lions were spread at many place across the Asia. As per local sentiments it is only people of Gir and their tolerance who preserved the lions on cost of their cattle and even human lives. As per the Hindu traditions, the lion is the vehicle of Hindu Goddess Ambaji. Ambaji has high importance in traditions and religious faith of people of Gujarat. Also being widely vegetarian society, It is common faith in Gir locality to consider animal killing as a sin. As per the Gir people these are the reasons behind survival of lions in this place. Even Government of Gujarat and its forest department has put large efforts behind growing the lions count from 20 to 360(+/- 10). Hence they are reluctant to leave their exclusiveness."[4]

  • 2

"The relocation of Gir lions faces opposition from local people. Gir lions has remain issue of prestige for people of Gujarat. As per the local sentiments it is the tolerance of Gir people who preserved lions, even after loosing their cattle on regular basis. There are cases of even human death by lions. Also it is unacceptable for them to leave their exclusivity. Hence the Indian central government's move to shift them, attracted oppose in Gir localities as well by the state government of Gujarat. One argument against the lions shifting is that Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary also houses tigers. The tigers being slight stronger than the lions, are potential threat for survival of lions."[5]


References for above:

Above comments have been removed from the main articles and listed here by me.

Atulsnischal 16:15, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] removed refererences

I removed these references below because they are not formatted correctly and there are redundant links. There is too much informatiojn too. We due not need the address and telephone number for the authors institution unless there is some good reason i am missing here? Can't we just narrow this down to three really good references rather than throwing so many in without much thought? More is not always better. David D. (Talk) 15:50, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10].