Asiatic Lions lost out to African Cheetahs

Suppose you are a political leader standing before an enormous mass of people and ask an eloquent question: “Bhaiyyo aur beheno, do you put your country (Bharat Mata) first or your state of domicile?” Chances are, being a nationalistic people, the grounds will rumble with a roar of “Bharat Mata ki jai!” leaving no one in doubt which comes first. In fact, in these times, someone putting one’s state before the nation may even be accused of sedition.

In other words, nationalism is invariably and universally about ‘nation first’. This needs little elucidation, given our renewed nationalistic fervour. I would also think integral to nationalism is the acceptance of the rule of law, respect for judiciary, and a nationalistic view that overrides narrower interests of individual states.

And yet, all attempts to translocate a few lions from Gir to Madhya Pradesh, have persistently and systematically been stalled by Gujarat, in the name of state pride, at the cost of the pride of the state and the pride of India, namely the lion itself.

It is a matter of record, as per the 2020 census, that the population of Asiatic lions in the Gir registered a healthy 674, up from 411 in the 2010 census, for which successive Gujarat governments deserve credit. And yet, it is equally a matter of record that the Gir lost nearly 159 lions in 2020 and another 124 in 2021. Dead cattle meat, allegedly transported to Gir to feed the lions, was the suspected cause of these deaths, though they were labelled deaths due to “natural causes” by the administration.

In any case, the success of Gujarat has come at a price. Ravi Chellam, a leading expert on Asiatic lions, estimates nearly 50-60% population of the lions to be spilling over the core forest reserve of the Gir, coming in close contact with domestic cattle, dogs, etc.

And yet, the history of trying to introduce a small population of the Gir lions to Kuno, Madhya Pradesh, as a risk-mitigation measure to save the lions from the dual potential scourges of canine distemper virus and babesiosis parasites wiping out the entire lion population, all of which are in one narrow confine of the Gir in about 1,500 square kilometres, has been persistently and systematically stalled by Gujarat.

Now, I am no expert on lions or cheetahs. I write as a common man, relying exclusively on reliable secondary data, using common sense.

The risk that the Asiatic lions in Gir are exposed to is not a sudden realisation. Rather than go back too far in history, it is a matter of public record that on April 15, 2013, the Supreme Court of India, in response to a PIL filed in the interest of safeguarding the lineage of Gir lions, ordered translocation of a couple of prides of lions from Gir to Kuno in Madhya Pradesh, “in letter and spirit within six months.” The order was issued under Article 48A of Protection and Improvement of Environment and Safeguarding of Forests and Wildlife. The judgment also invoked Section 51A of the fundamental duty enshrined in the Constitution to “protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife…”

The underlying idea of the judgement was to create a separate population of lions, so that even if in one pocket the lions were endangered due to CDV or Babesiosis (as we did witness in 2020 and 2021), or fires or earthquakes or any other disaster, the other geographically separated population would thrive unaffected.

One would think that in any law-abiding country, states would carry out the apex court’s orders as mandated, even if their own views differed. One would equally expect that in a nation governed by law and order, the apex court would have the will, muscle and moral standing to ensure that its will is enforced.

Unfortunately, neither did the Government of Gujarat take a nationalistic view of the matter nor did the Supreme Court try to enforce its judgement suo motu. And now, in 2022, the hurried introduction of the African Cheetah into Kuno – following a hastily introduced plan in the National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) in 2021 – makes sure that the idea of introducing a few Gir lions to Kuno is rendered more or less impossible in the foreseeable future. Interestingly, the NWAP, 2002-2016, had no mention of introduction of the African Cheetah into India., and Kuno was discussed exclusively in the context of introducing the Gir lion.

We are a country much used to the excruciatingly slow grind of the judiciary for common folks. Consequently, our media overplays the soundbyte of a paper judgement and seldom devotes time to following up on whether or not a judgement of public interest actually got enforced on the ground. So, little wonder that there has been no outcry even among the educated people in the face of a clear violation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Supreme Court ruling, or the rulings of the National Board of Wildlife and other relevant bodies (like the IUCN). The sane voices from a handful of senior wildlife experts, like Ravi Chellam, Faiyaz Khudsar, Raghu Chudawat and a few others, against this insensitive and ecologically questionable move has been lost – to use an American vulgar expression – like a fart in a windstorm.

As a nation, we have to cope with navigating our lives without proper education, health facilities, potable water, uninterrupted electricity, potholed roads, and filthy streets without sidewalks, and more. So much so that issues relating to lions and cheetahs are non-issues.

To me, the failure to translocate a few Gir lions to Kuno and the hasty introduction of cheetahs to the space originally earmarked for lions, despite the mandate from the highest court in the country, is both a commentary on national interests playing second fiddle to a state’s pride and on the Supreme Court judgement being given the short shrift. To me, African Cheetahs cannot take precedence over our own Asiatic Lions of Gir – our national pride.

(The writer is an academic and an author)