Jungle raj in Gir

The Asiatic lion has become a victim of state chauvinism

Five years after the Supreme Court  ordered the translocation of some Asiatic lions from their only home in the Gir forests of Gujarat to a sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, a committee got around to discuss the details of the exercise. This meeting was in response to a contempt petition filed in the apex court by a Madhya Pradesh activist against the government’s inaction. The fact that it needed prodding by the highest court in the land to get things moving on saving the Asiatic lion says much about the destructive impact of local politics on wildlife conservation. Man-animal conflicts are