Dear MEL Topic Readers,
India’s growing lion population should be cause for celebration, but
it’s also a deadly problem
India, the world’s most populous country, is trying to be a global leader
in feline conservation, including tigers, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and
jaguars. Wild lions in India were once hunted to the brink of extinction, but after
the state of Gujarat, a western coastal state north of Mumbai, banned the
killing, the state’s lion population has increased by 30% to 891 in the last
five years. Instead of conserving the species in a protected area, Gujarat communities
coexist with lions. In fact, lions help bring more tourists to the state. Also,
lions prey on abandoned old cattle and unwanted wild pigs or antelopes. However,
as the lion population increases, so do the chances of lion attacks on humans
and cattle. In the year ending June this year, as many as seven people were
killed by lions. Should they keep living with wild lions, relocate them to a
wildlife sanctuary, or isolate them from human habitats?
Read the article and learn about how an Indian state is trying to live
with lions.
No comments:
Post a Comment