TGIF Treat. Video of 11 New Lion Cubs at Gir Sanctuary in Gujarat

Mangalore Today News Network

Ahmedabad, July 17, 2015:  After flash floods killed 10 lions in Gujarat, and left others in "weak health and shocked condition" according to a government report,  there is welcome news from the Gir wildlife sanctuary. 

11 cubs have been born to four lionesses; mothers and offspring are reported healthy. They’ve been filmed by local officials. 

Gujarat is home to about 500 Asiatic lions in their last remaining sanctuary globally.

In some of the worst affected parts of the Saurashtra region last month, the water levels rose by almost nine feet in a short span of time, killing 10 endangered Asiatic lions and hundreds of other wild animals.

The impact of the floods had reignited the ongoing debate about relocating lions outside their only habitat in India.

Several wildlife experts have questioned the state government’s reluctance to allow the endangered species to move outside Gujarat to other suitable sanctuaries across the country.

In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that some of the lions should be relocated to a sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.

But the Gujarat government has consistently resisted any move from the state, where the lions are a source of pride.

 

Courtesy: NDTV