Thursday, April 18, 2013

Thriving lions on the move in India

17-04-2013
Thriving lions on the move in India
Washingtonpost
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/thriving-lions-on-the-move-in-india/2013/04/16/8106f1f4-a6a7-11e2-b029-8fb7e977ef71_story.html

RAJANISH KAKADE/AP -  Some of India's lions will have a new home, which will give them more room and keep them safe.

Published: April 17

Lions in India will now have homes in two parts of the country so they don't go extinct, or disappear from the planet.

India's Supreme Court on Monday ordered Gujarat (sounds like goo-je-raat), a western state, to share some of its endangered lions with a neighboring state to create a second home for them.

The Asiatic lion — which is smaller than its African cousin — has been almost wiped out in India. But conservation efforts by Gujarat in the past 50 years have helped it survive; there are now around 400 Asiatic lions in Gujarat's forests.

Political leaders in Gujarat didn't want to move the lions, but the court ordered some to be transferred to a forest sanctuary in neighboring Madhya Pradesh (mad-ya pra-deesh).

The court said the lions should have a second home to make sure that the species is not wiped out in a natural disaster or a fire. Wildlife experts also said the Gir sanctuary in Gujarat is getting crowded, making the lions more vulnerable to disease.

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